


Red Cross

by Rebeliz



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/F, Gun Violence, I invented a villian who is insane and very very scary, Major Original Character(s), Minor Character Death, Other, Violence, stablished skimmons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2015-10-15
Packaged: 2018-04-10 22:58:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 41,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4411139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rebeliz/pseuds/Rebeliz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a new villain that the Media has baptized as Red Cross, and who has claimed the life of seven random women already, always leaving a red cross on their bodies as a personal signature and sign of torture endured in its victims before their deaths. Coulson’s team has been trying to capture Red Cross with no positive results so far, what happens when they find out that a fellow agent has been kidnapped by RC’ men and could become its next fatal victim?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Eight

The dust lifts from the floor slowly and fast at once, forming a heavy cloud and mixing with the soft light of the afternoon’ sun. She doesn’t know if she’s alive but hope still blossoms inside of her at seeing five pairs of boots inching closer. She can’t move, but she calls out to them or at least she’s trying to. Her body isn’t responding to her orders, not even when one of the soldiers’ steps on her stretched out fingers and shots of pain run down her arm but she doesn’t react, doesn’t see the point in it. Pain doesn’t feel like it used to anymore.

Fitz looks down and immediately steps back. His stomach drops when he notices what he’s stepped on and he shouts for his team in a hurry. Fear hits him hard but not unexpectedly, mostly he’s having a hard time believing his eyes. Coulson and Bobbie are the first ones to gather around him and both of them take a double look before they allow themselves a second of weakness and a reaction washes over their faces.

“Oh, God.” Jemma chocks back a sob when she sees the girl lying on the floor. Skye and May are still checking the place, guard up, even though they all know that whoever did this is no longer near. Bobbie has knelt on the floor already. “There is no way – is she alive?” Jemma asks and Fitz realizes with a heavy heart how shocked his best friend finds herself to be right now. They’ve seen many horrors and then some now that they’ve been more actively going into the field, but he’s pretty sure that none of them have ever seen something like this.

“Barely,” Bobbie replies with her fingers still pressed on the girl’s neck, looking for a pulse.

“Do everything you can.” Coulson orders and Jemma nods decidedly. She’s scared, yes, terrified, but she can take an order, and she can focus on the job ahead.

The girl is missing a hand and a leg, has duck dirty tape covering both injuries at a poor attempt -perhaps- to avoid too much blood loss, but there is no blood around when there should be a pool of it. Jemma and Bobbie seem to realize this at the same time because both look at each other with the mild understanding that this girl was dropped here, specifically to be found after she was tortured. Her skull is visible, no scalp and the sight alone makes them all shiver to the bones. No fingernails or toenails left and a red cross has been craved on her abdomen by ripping off her skin.

Bobbie and Jemma work fast though, covering gushes that can be covered, disinfecting cuts, connecting a small heart monitor that Fitz provides from his case and cleaning what they can in such short time. Coulson has already called for a Medical and transportation team.

The girl doesn’t blink but her eyes follow Bobbie’s movements as she tries her best to focus on the job in front of her instead of the emotions that are bound to break her, because all her training seems to be slipping through her fingers at the moment.

They are all surrender speechless at the massacre that is the young girl that keeps fighting for her life, or has simply been left behind by the looks of it.

“Sir?” Jemma calls out but everyone switches their attention to her hopeless stare. Coulson meets Simmons’ stare and he doesn’t need to hear the words to understand that there is nothing left to do for the girl they were supposed to save because he can see it, he knows what’s next and he regrets that they can’t even make these last few minutes any better for the girl.  

The Director curses under his breath and turns away from the scene in an attempt to tame his anger and disappointment of not being able to catch this _monster_. Seven girls. Whoever is doing this has already claimed the lives of seven girls, eight with the one they are currently watching die and they still have no idea of who it is or what it wants. All they know is that whoever is doing this is marking SHIELD’ Agents’ family members at random and isn’t stopping there. The girl on the floor is the President’s niece and SHIELD has been trusted to find her, which technically they have but they’ve been too late.

With Jemma’s confirmation, Bobbie lets out a deep breath, surprised at how much she’s hurting and finally allows herself to look at the girl. Her eyes water instantly at the sight of the teenager. Her picture has been all over the news, rewards were being offered to anyone that could provide information of her whereabouts, every agency has been called for duty to look for her and SHILED has finally found her but they’ve been too late, again. Just like they’ve been too late with the last seven. Hopeless doesn’t even begin to describe the way they all feel currently.  

“You’re not alone,” Bobbie speaks, unaware that the entire team is looking at her now. “I’m gonna stay with you ‘till the end, yeah? I’ll stay here.”

They watch Agents Morse take a sit by the girl’s side on the floor, offering what little comfort can be offered and their anger increases massively, almost dangerously.

Agent May is the first one to react and she sprints away furiously. There must something in this old building that leads them to the responsible and she has to find it. Fitz retires a couple of steps believing that perhaps it’s best if Agent Morse is granted some privacy, there is nowhere to go really in the basement but he at least turns around. Skye is the last one to react and she does a double take around instinctively. Fitz and Coulson stand with their backs to them and May is nowhere in sight, so she carefully approaches Jemma and helps her on her feet before the scientist is holding her tight and crying on her shoulder as softly –but not any less heartbreakingly- as she possibly can. Skye remains silent though because what can she say in response to what they’ve found other than her wish to stop this person. They need to find the responsible, that’s all she thinks about.

In the deadly silence of the poorly lit place, they all hear the girl take her last breath.

“Check everything.” Coulson orders but turning around he finds his best agents looking broken to some extent and he realizes how much this person is effecting them all.

It’s been weeks since they began this search but every time they seem to be close they end up with a dead body in their hands and another college devastated. He isn’t sure of how much more his team can take but they can’t stop, and none of them would back off even if he asked to anyway.

“We need to catch this monster.” Skye breaks the silence when no one else seems to have even listened to him, her eyes are focused on him though. She won’t rest until this _monster_ is caught, he knows that much. “And we need to do it fast.”

Bobbie has stood up now -Jemma is offering something to clean her hands with- and she looks determined above her sorrow. The Director recognizes the look in her eyes and knows that they won’t rest until they catch whoever is doing this and his team backs him up, the only thing that concerns him is the lengths they’ll go to do it.

“We will.” He vows before calling Fitz over. “I want you to check the footage of every video camera you can find closest to this building.”

“Yes, sir.”

They watch Leo try to make contact but his earpiece doesn’t work. He tries again, Jemma mimics him and soon everyone else. They’ve lost connection with the surveillance team.

“What is happening?” Skye unlocks her tablet at the same time that Fitz does, both wanting to find out but soon they discover that their system has been hacked.

“This is impossible.” Skye says disbelievingly, she did the test runs herself before leaving home base. She wrote the inscription herself for this specifically mission. 

“We have no contact, sir.” Fitz announces as his tablet’ screen goes black. He looks impossibly shocked.

“Fix it!”

Footsteps are heard, loud and with purpose from somewhere within. Bobbie and Coulson are already pointing their guns at different direction as Jemma is roughly pulled by Skye to the middle of the circle they’ve formed.

“Romanov.” May’s calls out at the same time that the red-haired woman steps into view.

“Took me three minutes to hack you.” She announces proudly at Skye and hands her a tablet. Ever since they met two months ago and Natasha discovered how good Skye’s inscriptions were she’s made it a personal challenge to learn how to best her, and apparently she has with this one.

“What are you doing here?” Coulson asks exasperatedly. Natasha Romanov is no longer an Agent of SHIELD and no matter how hard Phil has tried to bring her back in, he always returns with a _no_ for an answer. So, seeing her in the middle of one of their missions is dubious to say the least.

“It appears that we’ve been following the same lead. I’ve been chasing this tail for the last twenty eight hours. I was about to get in but then they were gone in less than five minutes. I followed their vans for two miles west but I lost them downtown.”

Natasha looks extremely put out, furious and most of all, tired. “Why are you back here?” May asks suspiciously. Somehow the Black Widow never really warmed up to her, they both know it.

“Same reason why you haven’t left yet.”

“Why are you on this?” Coulson inquires, Natasha may not be working for SHIELD but that only leaves a world of open opportunities for the spy to play with. If she’s following this then she’s being paid good money or has a personal reason to do it.

“This is a kidnapping band. They took someone I know. Why are you on this?” She’s frowning now, the look one everyone’s eyes making her more than a little edgy. She has a bad feeling about what they know and it’s not like SHIELD takes major interest in everyday delinquents without a good reason.

“This isn’t just a kidnapping case, Romanov.” May softly fills her in before she takes off in a different direction and Natasha finally spots the lifeless body behind Coulson’s team. She hasn’t seen the girl when she was here before, not even heard or suspect they had someone in their power, and she hates to be blindsided.

She takes in the image of the dead girl and swallows with difficulty. She is surprised to see such evilness in display but she isn’t completely shocked. Still, she isn’t sure if she’s seen anything worse than this. The sole idea that her friend has been taken by the same person who did this is not something she’s ready to accept though. Natasha has seen the news, she’s seen the campaigns designed to find the lost girls, hell, she’s been tempted to find the last one, the one that now lays dead in front of her; and no, this isn’t just some kidnapping case.

“Sharon was taken yesterday afternoon.” She informs them, no reason to keep this to herself any longer, she’s going to need help.

Coulson breathes in deeply but it does nothing to calm his fear. Sharon, Agent Thirteen. He was her handler in her first few years of her being a field Agent before they grew to be good friends. Bobbie swallows with difficulty, they all pretend they don’t notice.

“Sharon Carter?” Skye joins them after recognizing who they’re discussing. Agent Thirteen has just been brought back in by Coulson, she has only been active for less than a week now. Natasha curtly nods at her direction in response.

“We were supposed to meet but she never showed up. I traced her phone to a dumpster a few blocks from her apartment, which I checked and looked completely normal. I hacked into the Police’ surveillance cameras of the area and I confirmed that she was taken by two men in a black van. I traced the van to this place but as soon as I got here, they left.”

“You saw them?” Bobbie asks, hope lacing her tone but Natasha shakes her head.

“A bunch of guys that were obviously following orders. If the boss was here I didn’t see him. Or her.”

“You were planning on going in alone?” Skye huffs and the wish to pull at her hair almost wins over her sanity. She’s barely containing her anger and she needs to keep control since she can’t exactly bring this building to the ground.

“What was I supposed to do?” Natasha shots back, reminding why exactly she’s doing this. “What am I supposed to tell Steve when he comes back looking for Sharon and she’s not here?” 

They all share the same look. Captain America’s almost girlfriend has been taken by the same monster that has been able to outsmart them all at once. Natasha looks away. Steve hasn’t exactly asked her to keep an eye on Sharon or anything of the sort, but he’s the closest thing to a friend she’ gotten and seeing him heartbroken isn’t an option.  

“You need to see this.” May suddenly announces from the far right end of the lobby they’re standing now.

With heavy hearts and expecting the worst the team walks through a small wasted wooden door that opens to a small well-lit corridor, with two black doors to each side. Skye and Fitz gag at the same time, the later isn’t able to hold back his vomit and Skye barely manages, Jemma looks at them in sympathy. The rest don’t know how to react because unfortunately they know the smell, they know what they’ll find once they cross the door that now May is holding open.

Red stains cover most of the walls and ceiling, even the two light bulbs handing from it. There is a small cage made of iron strings in the middle of the room, a white plastic chair in front of it, a white sofa pushed against the left, a pool table pushed to the right and a wooden cross nailed to the back wall that is just another confirmation that Red Cross isn’t actually hiding but just a step or two ahead of them.

A large table in front of the cross is the one thing they would all prefer to ignore though and the one that on first sight makes Agent Fitz go back outside as he hurls once again. Jemma turns around fast, almost desperately, only to crush into Skye’s chest who is -luckily- ready to catch her but unable to tear her eyes away from the table. Bobbie and Coulson seem a second away from getting sick but hell bent on not letting themselves be affected. Natasha and May inspect the table with matching frowns of concentration though, both already analyzing what they are truly facing.

Clamps, sharp knives, handcuffs, nails, hammers and even pieces of a broken mirror line one side of the table; all of them covered in blood and some tangled hair. However, the other side of the table is the hard one to look at. There is a glass filled with a transparent liquid and Natasha sees finger and toe nails swimming in it, four teeth swim on the next cup. Bobbie takes account of the dark hair next, the missing scalp of the girl and finally a leg and hand that have been cut into small pieces, as if by some sort of butcher.

They have found seven bodies up until today, but none of those bodies have been even remotely close to the state this one is.

“This is the Red Cross killer, isn’t it?” Natasha asks even though she already knows the answer, she just wants to hear someone else confirm it.

“Is that what they’re calling it?” Coulson replies as he pulls out a plastic containment bag from the inner pocket of his jacket and takes one of the knives. He’s seen the news.  

“Those reporters aren’t the most creative ones.” Natasha turns around to find Jemma still unable to turn around and Skye trying to sooth her silently. Fitz keeps gagging just outside the door and Morse’ eyes are swollen as she tries to control herself. They are all a mess but they are the mess she needs by her side right now. Surprisingly, she trusts these people.  

“Fitz, what happened with that footage?” Coulson’ tone is the one none of them can ignore, not even Natasha. They all stand to attention. _This_ they are all good at.  

“On it, sir.” Leo calls from outside as the Director walks towards Simmons. Natasha watches in mild surprise at the way they all seem to be coming back to life with his orders, even herself. 

“Take this back to the lab,” he hands the plastic bag to her. “Find a fingerprint and come back to me when you have a name, not before.”

“Yes, sir.”

Agent Simmons is about to leave when three men run inside the room with their guns pointed straight forward, and then with matching sighs of relief they put their guns down.

“The connections went down and…”

“And you waited five minutes to come and get us?” Bobbie interrupts an out of breath Hunter.

“We weren’t field ready, it takes a while to put these on.” Mac shows to his bulletproof vest as Lincoln nods by his side. A mess, they are a total mess. Natasha know that at least this isn’t all the backup Coulson has outside of this building.

“We are fine, as you can see.” Coulson says disapprovingly. “Escort Simmons back to Bus and Natasha,” he sends her a look. “Please, give us back the control of our systems.”

“Already done, it was only a five minute window.”

Before she leaves the room with the guys Skye kisses Jemma’s temple to everyone’s surprise. Their relationship isn’t exactly a secret but this is the first time they show affect in front of the rest of team. Coulson lets it slide since they’ve never found themselves in a situation quiet like this one. He hopes they never encounter one as such.   

“We need to catch this bastard.” Are the first words out of Skye’s mouth once Hunter confirms they’ve made it to the car safely and he’ll be piloting the jet back to the Bus. Mac and Lincoln will stay behind until the Medical team arrives along with their new transportation. Local authorities have been contacted and Maria Hill is on her way, apparently.

“This isn’t the best place to come up with a plan.” Bobbie points out as Fitz’ DWARFS fly inside the room, he remains outside.

“No hidden cameras or mics, but there is a wire behind that pool table that might be connected to the communications system of the building.” He announces after the drones have scanned the room entirely.

Bobbie checks the wire but it turns out being an old phone line. Fitz scans the rest of the building but they’re alone and no traps have been left behind. No care for consequences and no fear of being caught then. Every camera in the four blocks surrounding them have been disconnected.

This information tells them that thought Red Cross isn’t exactly careful, he or she has people who care and try to protect their identity. This place wasn’t picked randomly.  

“Why is Hill coming?” May asks after Fitz has given his report.

“Texted her earlier.” Natasha replies before looking at Coulson. She trusts Coulson and his team but Maria is beyond that and she needs Maria right now. “What’s the plan?”

“This is a SHIELD operation and you’re not an Agent of SHIELD.” May steps closer to him, just in case she tells herself but Natasha only smirks in response to his wit. Not offended then.

“Then you want me back for this mission.” The Black Widow says lowly, almost challenging him.

“Not just for this mission.” They embark in a glaring war, Natasha’ cover is blown, the entire world knows her true identity and Coulson knows it and she refuses to sit down and run operatives for SHIELD when she can be in the field on her own accounts.

“We’re wasting time!” Skye exclaims, effectively breaking them out of their glaring contest of sorts. “If you’re in, then say so. I don’t want to be late when this _thing_ attacks again.”

“I’m in.” Natasha vows instinctively. She’ll deal with consequences later, right now she needs to find Sharon and stop the psycho behind these murders.

…

It’s agreed to go back to the Bus after the Medical team arrives and the body is removed. Coulson orders them to clean the entire place, leave nothing behind and he’s forced to go and deal with local authorities over this decision but he manages to pull some strings, which isn’t difficult since SHIELD was contacted by the White House itself in on this particular case. By the time he’s leaving the Police Station Maria Hill is waiting for him and even though he wants to ask why she’s driving Lola and on whose authority, he refrains from it. She always had a crush on Lola, anyway.

“This is something the FBI should be behind of, not SHIELD.” In all the years he’s known Maria, he has never gotten nothing but directness from her and today is no different. It brings a weird sense of longing for the old days.  

“This has everything to do with SHIELD. I just haven’t figured out why yet.” She looks at him sternly but he finds it hard to be intimidated by her when she’s wearing a leather jacket on top of a casual shirt. It’s been months since they last saw each other and as usual, their paths are crossing again under less than ideal circumstances but that doesn’t mean that they’re not slightly content to meet again.

“Agent Roy’s daughter, Agent Claim’ daughter, Agent Peach’ sister and the latest victim being the niece of the President. Whoever this is, is knocking on our door with knives and axes and we’re going to answer.”

Hill doesn’t say another word but her silence is what Coulson needs right now, it means she agrees with answering the door, no matter who’s on the other side and, damn it! They won’t be caught off guard again. They can’t.

**…**

The room is small and smells like fresh paint, Sharon suspects it was meant to be used as a supply closet but then again, she has absolutely no idea of where she might by at. They had knocked her out before she could see a face and when she woke up she was already locked in this square of concrete. There is not a single weak point on the walls and the door is made of thick iron, no handle on the inside and she guesses that’s not a coincidence.

She’s trapped, dressed only in her underwear and with no idea of where she is or the reason behind it. She has been in similar situations before and that alone injects her with some courage and hope that she can find a way out of this.

Twenty four hours pass by and she isn’t offered any food or water but she wills herself to not panic. What’s the point on kidnapping her if they’re only going to drop her in a hole and forget about her? No, she’s being watched, she is sure of it.

Natasha was supposed to meet her for dinner and she never made it after all. Natasha will know something is amiss. But in the case Natasha doesn’t take her absence seriously then Sharon will still fight her way out of this one alone, she can do it.

At the thirtieth hour the door slides open and she bounces on the first guy she sees, a thin young boy that gets knocked down with only a punch to the jaw. He isn’t carrying a weapon, or a belt, he isn’t even wearing shoes, nothing she can really use.

Laughter travels from somewhere above and Sharon realizes that she’s been locked in a chamber in the middle of what seems to be an old abandoned large swimming pool. The stilettos of a woman dressed in a red cocktail dress echo around the empty space along with her maniac laughter.

“Who are you?” Sharon spits out, quickly counting fifteen men standing around the pool, all armed with gun machines.

“Oh, I love this game!” The woman jumps on the spot, her blond lavender hair bouncing as she claps her hands enthusiastically. “Ask me again.” Her laughter is too wide, too bright and too loud to be _normal_ though.

Sharon allows herself for the first time since she was taken to be afraid. This woman is insane and it doesn’t take much to realize that. She needs a weapon, the boy on the floor could be used as shield for a while but she wouldn’t be able to carry him to get to a guard before another one shoots her.

“Come on! Ask me again!” The woman demands from the edge of the pool where she now sits, her feet dangling in the air playfully.  

“What’s your name?” Sharon complies and the woman giggles, she’s not older than twenty five, pretty, nice smile, fit body, money, obviously.

“They call me Red Cross,” she says as a man hands her a bottle of champagne and two glasses. She wastes no time in pouring the liquid in one of them. “I know right? Genius!” Her eyes widen as she drinks the first glass of champagne and then as if she’s forgotten she pours another one before carelessly jumping down the six feet down into the pool.

A new level of understanding washes over Sharon when Red Cross lands graciously on her feet, her stilettos intact and not a drop of champagne spilled from the glass she’s now offering her with a toothy grin.

“We are gonna have so much fun together.” Red Cross declares as Agent Thirteen takes the offered glass. Sharon inspects the bubbling pink liquid before looking up into the eyes of the woman, light hazel blue but gone too far. She’s heard all about Red Cross, Coulson’s team has been behind its tail for weeks but she never suspected Red Cross was a young girl with abilities superior to a regular human being.

Sharon drinks the champagne a little too eagerly. If she’s going to suffer at least she wants some booze running through her veins to help her survive what’s to come.

…


	2. Plus two

…

Delivering the news to the President and his sister isn’t an easy task or even a comfortable one, and the devastation is mostly felt even through the encrypted video line Skye has set up for the conference they have running. Through angry tears the President makes Coulson promise that he will deliver the responsible for the death of his niece to him, the President vows to make Red Cross pay for its crimes in return. The SHILED Director is given full freedom to chase and capture Red Cross since they are the only Agency that has even come close to catch him, or her. Coulson is told to do whatever it takes.

…

HQ is blooming with life, every member of his team working to find a clue that will point them in the direction of Red Cross and Agent Thirteen but Jemma Simmons is the first one to knock on Director Coulson’ office just as he’s closed it to discuss strategies on how to proceed.

“Julian Perez.” Agent Simmons says, presenting him with a stack of papers as her report and the bag with the knife they took from the old building hours ago. “His fingerprints are all over the handle. I confirmed the identity with Dr. Rose and the same fingerprints have been found in the axe and hammer as well, the other weapons lack a different DNA than the victim’s,” she hands the report to Coulson and leaves the bag on his desk as Skye pops open her laptop. She has a name, that’s all she needed. “He is a forty year old Bolivian immigrant that was reportedly deported back in 2011 but he’s obviously still here and he’s being hunted down. He worked at a Latin Restaurant in New Jersey but he was fired back in September of 2010 by unknown reasons and apprehended by the Police only a few months later before new year’ eve for violent behavior at a public place. His bail was paid by an unknown benefactor.”

“There are no phones registered under his name, no apartment or house lease, no debts,” Skye informs them but she hasn’t stopped typing furiously on her keyboard. “No registration for Government help, no receipts of him buying anything in America and wait.” Cracking the code for international official pages takes her a bit longer but she still gets there in record time. “No documentation of him ever getting to Bolivia. The last time they saw him was when he got on the plane, an officer was traveling with him but he was found dead in the bathroom when they landed and there were no signs of Perez.” She looks up, meeting her boss’ stare. “No one has found him yet, not even a clue. It’s like he’s vanished.”

“But not completely. Homeland Security is still looking for him and the FBI as well. Both have investigations up and running currently.” Jemma finishes.

“Can this guy be Red Cross?” Coulson voices the question everyone has on the tip of their tongues, even though it sounds too easy if it were.

“No,” Natasha replies by taking the stack of papers from his hands where there is a photo of Perez. She studies his face, memorizes it, bold but decent looking, caramel skin color, short beard, dark eyes, a bit chubby. “Immigrants usually lack money, that’s why they cross the border in the first place.” She sets the papers back, time is ticking and she’s seriously considering hitting the streets and beat everyone for answers. “Red Cross is loaded. The weaponry they were carrying suggested so, the amount of guards, the obvious tech that impended Fitz from finding a working surveillance camera in the perimeter and this guy couldn’t care less for what he’s leaving behind. That attitude is only grant with money. Perez is only the butcher, a worker, nothing more.”

“However Perez could have a benefactor, someone who is picking up these girls for specific reasons and who has been keeping him in the dark for the last five years. Who bailed him out of jail back in 2010 and why?” Bobbie ads.

“Hunter,” Coulson calls the British, they need to move. “You’re going on a field trip. Find out who arrested Perez, the cops who released him and most importantly who paid the money to get him out. Take a jet and a team with Fitz on it. If they aren’t willing to cooperate, hack into their cameras, their files, anything you need to get that information. Find who this anonymous benefactor is. Go.”

They leave the room on order but the movement does nothing to calm a slightly nervous Natasha. Maria watches her from where she stands near Skye, she knows Natasha is the kind of person that feels better when doing, not planning, unfortunately right now they need the planning because they have no idea where to go or where to look.

“Sir?” Skye’ tone is unsure, almost shocked, the kind of tone that means they have been left behind once again. “You need to see this.” She turns the monitor around. Two heiresses have been taken from the yate they were vacationing in Saint Tropez, kidnapped. Their friends hadn’t seen anything or anyone suspicious on their whole trip. No traces left behind, no signs of resistance just like it happened with Sharon.

 

RED CROSS HQ

Sharon sits in the middle of a large empty bathroom, all white and pristine looking that only makes her that much more dubious and she admits, nervous. She still hasn’t been able to get her hands around anything that could be of use, the guards that brought her in have stood five feet away from her, their guns pointing only to her feet and with the sole order to get inside this room and keep quiet. They had offered Italian food and some water, which she had eaten because going forty five hours without anything to drink or eat is only meant to make her weak, and she can’t be weak when she still needs to escape this place. Wherever and whatever she’s at.

They had taken the plastic utensils as soon as she finished.

Now she sits on the floor recalling all those months she spent training when she first got recruited by Fury years ago. She knows how to defend herself, how to fight with her fists and make a weapon out of pretty much anything but she can’t   
really do that either if she can’t get a hold of someone to fight in the first place or her hands on anything worth it. She knows how to escape a precarious situation and damn it! She had jumped out of a three building window once to avoid getting shot but there are no windows here, no ventilation system, no handle on the damn door, there is nothing she can use.

She has checked the entire room as soon as the door closed but just like in the chamber they just pulled her out of, there is nothing behind these walls. She has nothing to work with and she’s still only wearing her underwear. She had a tracer on her phone and on her shoes but even those are gone now. She needs to get the word out, she needs to tell Coulson that Red Cross is a woman, a young woman who is out of her mind and unstable as they come but she has no idea of how to do that or if she is even going to get the chance to.

Muffled moans can be heard from outside and a second later, loud-clear screams from two women and Sharon stands up on guard, she has to get a hold of something this time, the moment they open that door she has to claim a weapon for herself, and if she goes down, well, at least she’ll go down with a fight.

The door slides open but Sharon stands immobile as Red Cross enters the room to come to stop right in front of her. She looks every bit as glamorous as the last time she saw her, only this time she’s wearing a casual floral red dress with matching designer sandals, aviators holding back her hair as they rest on the top of her head.

“Good news!” The blond smiles and jumps on the balls of her feet. Sharon feels sick to see such joy in this woman’s eyes but now more than ever she’s convinced that this girl must be the daughter of someone important, a politician perhaps, someone of elite. “We’re going out for dinner and we’re going to my favorite restaurant ever!”

Two young girls are thrown carelessly inside the bathroom as if on cue and before Sharon can voice her disagreement. Both girls are crying, dressed exactly like Sharon finds herself at the moment but the difference between her and the girls is too major to overlook. Both young girls have obviously taken a beaten, angry bruises cover their bare skinny legs and arms, their wrists are raw and swollen, a clear sign of restraining and their hair has been cut carelessly pixie short.

Sharon looks up, meets Red Cross’ eyes and her blood boils at the expectation she finds there, she’s waiting for her reaction almost desperately. These girls have been brought to gawk a reaction out of her and it sickens her.

“Who are these girls?” Agent Thirteen asks, although she already knows they’ve been kidnapped as well. Red Cross shrugs, her shoulders lifting in complete amusement and mockery.

“Why don’t you ask them?” She purposes somehow softly and it’s the first time she speaks and Sharon has a hard time telling whether this woman is truly out of her mind or not.

Instead of asking though Sharon makes the first move by jumping towards the door and pushing it closed. She didn’t hear any keys fumbling when they opened it earlier, so that only means there is a code to be typed in and that grants her a couple of seconds before the room is filled with armed guards, just enough time to give it a shot.

The beaten up girls on the floor have a hard time following what’s suddenly happening, though they only cover their heads and curl on the floor in fear.

Sharon lands a hit on Red Cross’ jawline and she’s about to throw a second one when the woman begins to maniacally laugh in her face. The reaction throws Sharon off but she doesn’t even see the moment Red Cross avoids her punch. The next thing she knows is that she can’t breathe and she’s just been roughly pushed against the wall.

Red Cross’ hand is tightly wrapped around her throat, her toes are barely grazing the marvel floor and although she’s trying to get free, Sharon realizes that she can’t win this one before she passes out from oxygen deprivation.

“You’re so fast,” Red Cross says scrunching up her nose and smiling widely, amused of what she’s just witnessed. “Next time we’ll play more.”

She releases her hold and Sharon falls to the ground gasping for air and coughing roughly. One of the girls screams terrified and Agent 13 sees Red Cross lifting her up as if she weights an ounce to her feet.

“Don’t,” she rasps out, coughs again and stands to her feet. “Don’t hurt her. We’re going to dinner, right?”

Red Cross throws the girl to the floor again, jumping and clapping her hands in utter joy. “Yes, we are! But you need to clean up first, put on something nice, a little make up and I’d send Jay in to do your hair but I know you’ll only try to escape if he does so and I like you, so no, you’ll pull the wet hair off. Something tells me you’ll look good.”

Sharon tries hard to smile, she does but she can’t feel herself grimacing instead. What on earth did she do to end up here? A shiver runs down her back when Red Cross takes a sit by the door and pulls it open with a lazy movement of her hand in the air. One of the guards hands her a bag and she throws it to Sharon, who catches it easily.

Shampoo, soap, a tooth brush, dental paste and some make up are in there. The two girls whimper on the floor, they’ve turned to begging, they offer money and promises to not talk about Red Cross and now Sharon has another job to do than just let Coulson know about this. She needs to save these two girls and herself in the process. Although she has no idea how she’ll do it.

Red Cross doesn’t leave the room, doesn’t even make a move to give Sharon a bit of privacy and Agent Carter notices that she’ll have to clean up in front of her. Nakedness doesn’t really bother Sharon, she’s learnt to push away the sense of shame that comes with lack of clothing -a couple of missions going south have taught her that in brutal ways- but she’s never had to actual shower in the presence of her captor and two other victims before.

Hot water washing away almost two days of worriedness and lack of sleep, Sharon is tempted to close her eyes and enjoy the feeling of the steaming water on her body but Red Cross’ eyes impend her from it. For a minute she wonders if the woman is attracted to her, to her body but Red Cross’ eyes never stray from her face, not even out of curiosity or mistake.

The door slides open once more when Sharon steps out of the shower and she really shouldn’t be surprised that no one busted inside the room before to protect Red Cross and that now the woman holds a red towel and a red dress in her hands, a little red bag as well.

“All red, huh?” Sharon can’t help to state the obvious but Red Cross looks delighted that she’s noticed and as soon as Agent 13 has taken the stuff from her hands she’s clapping her excitement.

“You’ll look great and so will I.”

Sharon watches helplessly as RC leaves the room with the two girls and once she’s gone she inspects the door, looking for something that tells her that Red Cross can’t actually have pulled the thing as a magnet with just the power of her mind but she finds nothing that explains reasonably how she really opened the door from the inside.

What is this woman and what is she capable of? These are question that Sharon has to find the answers to. This is a mission that she needs accomplished and she’ll do whatever it takes to do it.

Once she’s dressed and has applied light make up the door slides open again. She is absolutely being watched. How? She has no idea.

The guards escort her to a red limousine the same way they’ve escorted her to the bathroom, barefoot and with all their guns pointed at her legs. Red Cross is already inside the car, a glass of red wine in one hand and Sharon’s shoes in the other.

“These are real nice, I thought they’d go great with that dress.” Red Cross smiles charmingly, her eyes doing a once over the Agent’s body and Sharon finally cracks a real smile.

“I was thinking the same thing.” She takes the shoes and putting them on she finally pushes the button they didn’t give her the chance to push when they first captured her.

 

SHIELD HQ

Hunter and Fitz are back from Jersey but they don’t bring good news with them. The Police Officers that arrested Perez back in 2010 have passed away while on duty. Both Officers’ have been single and lived alone, no families left. The tapes from the day Perez was released has disappeared along with the Officer that did his paperwork. No traces to follow, no one to track. They have also stopped by Perez’ old apartment but found out the owner has passed away leaving the building to his son who turned the place into a Hotel and redesigned the entire building.

They are back where they started, only this time they have another kidnap to link to Red Cross. Coulson has mentioned the trackers Sharon was supposed to be carrying and Skye has been trying to find a signal but with no luck so far.

The clock keeps ticking though and with each passing minute Natasha grows edgier. And it isn’t like they’re just sitting and waiting to see what happens next because everyone is still trying to find something. Fitz is still trying to get footage from the vans Natasha has described, Skye is monitoring the trackers, Lincoln and Mac are preparing in case they need to leave in a hurry, Bobbie and May are currently listening wealthy families and their connections with SHIELD, Maria is still talking logistics with Coulson and Natasha is trying to decide whether or not to call Steve already when she’s supposed to be checking all the private airports of New York City.

She knows that she should call him, it’s the right thing to do. Steve would want to be here, be the one who looks and finds Sharon but she keeps telling herself that she already has help and it should be enough. If their next move is a wrong one then she’ll call Steve. She’s just really hoping that they won’t need him.

There have been no sightings of another yate or boats in the area the group of friends was partying at in Saint Tropez, so that leaves them with the knowledge that the two girls were taking by helicopter at least, proving once again that their theory of the money is correct.

The girls, Samantha and Angelina, the daughters of two Republicans Politicians from the United States that co-own a series of TV Networks in the East Coast have been tanning alone on the front deck and that’s the last time their friends have seen them.

It’s decided they need to go to Europe when Skye’s tablet beeps and one of Sharon trackers comes to life.

“Is that her?” Maria asks, fastening her bulletproof vest and adjusting her gun on her hip.

“Yes, it is.” Skye types and soon a map of the City expands on the screen.

“It could be a trap.” Coulson says, his eyes solely on Natasha and it’s weird to see her wearing that look on her face, the one she reserved for when she was suited up and he knows she’s really back, and this is a mission for her, and Natasha is good at completing missions no matter the cost. But all he can really think about is that this is not only a mission, this is Sharon Carter, Agent 13, the woman he’s brought back only weeks before and was barely starting to reintegrate.

“It is a trap,” Natasha says nodding, calm, completely focused. “One we’ll walk into because Red Cross obviously wants to meet with us.”

“Tasha?” Maria calls her out.

“We need to get Sharon back.” She reluctantly says, her voice rising. “We get her back and then we trap the bastard. Not before, we can’t put Sharon in more danger than she already is.”

Coulson nods, ignoring everyone’s looks. He’s known Natasha since the day she was brought in a prisoner of SHIELD and he knows the look on her face. She’ll meet with Red Cross with or without their back up. He is aware that if the opportunity comes, she’ll have no problem with going off the radar for as long as it takes. She’s done it before and always come up victorious.

“They just walked into a Restaurant on the 10th.” Skye informs them.

“Can you get us…?”

“Already am.” Skye cuts Maria off and showing them her tablet they see footage of two women dressed in red entering the restaurant, one of them definitely Sharon.

“85, Tenth Avenue.” Skye recites. “Del Posto Restaurant.”

“We have an address.” Natasha looks at Maria, eyes decided and hard, Maria nods.

“Let’s move out.” She says out loud, hoping that Natasha knows what she’s doing.

 

DEL POSTO RESTAURANT. 85, TENTH AVENUE, NYC.

The blindfold is taken off when the engine stops. Sharon shivers when Red Cross’ cold fingers graze her cheeks but she meets her stare with all the anger she’s gathered up inside. Of course the woman easily smiles back, that kind of smile people reserve for when they find something to be adorable and beautiful. Sharon feels sick to her stomach.  

Looking outside of the window though Sharon is surprised to see that they are in fact about to enter a restaurant and there are many things she can use in a place like this to help her escape. If anyone is paying attention, then she’ll have back up soon enough as well.

“You’re not going home tonight, love.” Red Cross speaks in a sweat tone, barely audible and Sharon refuses to look back from the window because she feels the other woman breathing closely to her neck. It’s like she’s read her mind. “Eventually you will, I promise. Just not tonight, I still need you.”

“Need me for what?” She spits out through greeted teeth and turning around.

“Lots of things. Fun things. Things you’ll never forget.” Red Cross smiles, although her smile is a bit contained now, not the same crazy one Sharon’ been seeing so far.

“I won’t help you do anything, I won’t tell you anything. You know that, right?” Sharon frowns, her emotions getting the best of her because now she’s completely sure that Red Cross knows that she is an Agent of SHIELD. Coulson hadn’t been wrong when he said this murderer was knocking on their door.

“Of course I do!” Red Cross exclaims. “But you see, I can be very persuasive when I want to be.”

Red Cross proceeds to unbutton the jacket of her red pants suit, a silly and creepy smile taking over her lips as she studies Sharon’ reaction to what she’s _really_ wearing. Agent Carter looks away for only one second in shock and her breathing increases considerably. She’s terrified and it hits her like a train on a track.

“You planning on killing everyone in there tonight?” She asks, gaining a laugh from Red Cross.

“That’d be a shame. I wasn’t lying when I said that this is my favorite restaurant. I love Italian food!”

Sharon stays silent as Red Cross buttons up her jacket again, covering the dozens of small but vicious bombs attached to her body like a second skin.

“This is what you plan to use to keep me by your side? What impends me from going in there and telling everyone what you have under that jacket?”

“Oh no, love. You can do anything you’d like.” Red Cross smiles easily, as if they’re discussing a lot less important things than the lives of civilians. “I don’t plan anything. You should know by now that I don’t need fireworks when I can do what I do. But I won’t tell you what to do, I won’t ask anything of you. I just wanted to show you my favorite restaurant and if you happen to see my way by the end of the night, then that will be your choice.”

Sharon closes her eyes tightly when Red Cross leaves the car but has to quickly compose herself when the door to her side clicks open and her kidnapper offers her a hand to get out of the car.

Not knowing if back up is actually coming Sharon decides to play along, and what other choice does she have anyway really? One of RC’ men speaks to reception and deals with their reservation and as soon as a name is spoken the waitresses jump into action immediately but Sharon can’t hear it.

Their table is for four and it’s located in the center of the first floor. Red Cross holds a chair out for Sharon and smiles easily at her when she takes her seat in front of her. She orders red wine and the menus, the waiter doesn’t give them her name and almost trips on her way back to the kitchen.

There are eight cameras on the first floor and all of them have magically turned to point anywhere but at their table directly. Ten guards are sitting strategically around them and six on the second floor. Red Cross is wearing an earpiece and she’s staring at Sharon with owe and something else swimming in her light eyes.

“You’re very clever!” She enthusiastically announces. “Tell me, what did you see?”

“Sixteen guards, two guys outside, no cameras filming us.” Sharon recites. Red Cross clasps her hands congratulatory.

“Great! That was great! You’re really smart, I like that!” She pours the wine in two large thin glasses and Sharon takes a sip more out of necessity than anything else. “But they saw us already. Don’t worry your friends will be here shortly, I imagine.”

Sharon breathes in and out slowly before she sets her glass down and the waitress returns. She watches in complete shock and horror as Red Cross orders for both of them and now more than ever she wants to use the bottle on the table to knock Red out and make a run for the door, only somehow she’s sure a bottle won’t be enough to knock her out.

“What do you mean?” She asks once the waitress has retrieve.

“Your shoes,” Red Cross explains easily. “I was tempted to make of this just a dinner date like I had promised but then I thought that I had never seen you smile and it worked. I’m clever too, right?”

“Very.” Sharon concedes, thinking that she’s just lead SHIELD into a trap and she can’t do anything to stop it.

“Don’t be sad,” Red Cross begs playfully. “Would it help if I promised that I’ll try my best to behave?”

“Let’s play a game.” Sharon blurts out and when Red Cross clasps louder and more enthusiastically than before she jumps on her seat but manages to smile tightly.

“I love games!”

“I remember,” Sharon nods, the air is getting heavier. She’s having problems to breath easily, she’s never been this scared before while on a mission.

“What’s the name of this game?” Red Cross demands to know.

“It doesn’t really have a name but you have to answer as fast as you can.”

“Oh, I love that game! I’ll go first.” Sharon is pretty sure that everyone can hear Red Cross shout by now but nobody is showing any sign of discomfort about her loudness. “Favorite color?”

“Black,” Sharon lies making Red Cross frown playfully. “Favorite book?”

“The art of war. Age?” Red Cross looks like a kid on a candy store, maniacally pumped up on a sugar rush and desperate to get another one.

“Twenty eight.” Sharon replies fast. “Lucky number?”

“Seven!” Red Cross yells out. “You a good cook?”

“Regular, I make a mean lasagna though,” Sharon slips out. “Hometown?”

“Manhattan,” Red Cross smiles, her eyes showing mirth though. “You a good dancer?”

“Yes. Any siblings?”

“Only child,” Red Cross removes her earpiece and her stare intensifies on Sharon. “Do you prefer dogs or cats?”

“Dogs. What’s your name?” Sharon asks and holds out her breath.

“Elizabeth Castañeda, but they call me Red Cross and I like it. Are you having fun?”

Sharon lets out a breath as total confusion washes over her. The name doesn’t ring any bells and _Elizabeth_ doesn’t have the complexion of a Latin girl, unless she’s lying. Red Cross picks up the earpiece again and rolls her eyes at whatever is being said on the other side but smiles to Sharon nonetheless.

“I’m not stupid,” she says, Sharon is silent. “I wouldn’t give you my real name even if you promise not to tell anyone else. But it was a fun game!”

She smiles widely as their food arrives and Sharon is running out of options. “Why do you do this? Why are you killing these girls?”

“Because it’s fun and I like the sound of bones cracking,” Red Cross says thoughtfully. Agent 13 notices that’s as real as an answer would get.

“Why am I really here?” Her jaw trembles and it’s completely deliberate but Red Cross still frowns and reaches out to run the tip of her fingers on Sharon’s jawline, ignoring the way the Agent shivers and holds her breath.

“You’re convenient, and I like you.”

Sharon isn’t the real target here and it takes only a moment to see now. “You want Steve.”

“Mmmmm, no,” Red Cross shaker her head. “Not specifically but it’d be nice to meet Captain America, yeah.” She says it as if it’d be the coolest thing to happen to her and Sharon understands that Red Cross is fishing a much bigger fish.

“What do you want from me?” Sharon asks as Red Cross touches her earpiece delicately.

“Guess what? Your friends are here!”

**…**

 


	3. Countdown begins

…

TEAM CHARLIE’ VAN

The communications go down when they enter the Tenth Avenue and although Skye looks ready to burst her tablet with how hard she keeps trying to reinstall them, Natasha doesn’t seem to be the least surprised. She’s been expecting this to happen since they’ve been invited, sort of speak.

“We’re down.” Skye announces and Natasha winces at how deeply the younger agent is frowning. If Skye can’t hack into Red Cross’ firewall, she guesses no one really can.

“Nothing’s changed. We go along with the plan.” She tells them and they don’t need to be told twice to get into gear and ready. This is what she likes most about Coulson’ team, they are always eager to follow orders and Natasha can only imagine how much Steve would love them.

“They’re expecting us.” Maria sighs and Natasha recognizes _that_ particular frown. She waits until Maria looks at her to scoot over on the van’ already crowded seat and then she goes back to tie her boots.

It feels weird to be all suited up again. After SHIELD fell she hasn’t really allow herself to think of the possibility to belong to anything anymore and the Avengers Initiative feels more like a hobby than a call, but she has to admit that wearing this uniform feels slightly tranquilizing, and yes, familiar. She hates when Steve is right about these kind of stuff and internally winces when the word family comes to mind when she looks up again.

“You’re going in, aren’t you?” Maria discreetly whispers close to her ear as she sits beside her.

Natasha shrugs, smirking casually. “What do you think?”

“Tash, don’t try to be a hero. Coulson’s got a plan. Don’t screw that up.” Maria pleads and it’s not the words that make the spy feel guilty but the tone in which Maria speaks to her. It feels so intimate and wrong in the scene they’re currently at to be spoken like that. Natasha is used to the tone, is one she expects to hear from the woman by her side, but not in a place like this, not while they’re on a van driving into a sure trap.

“Haven’t you heard?” She raises an eyebrow playfully, glad when Maria gives in for a moment and lets a smile grace her features even though they both know that Natasha is avoiding a real answer. “I’m an Avenger now.”

“Shut up.” Maria shoves her teasingly but too soon the smiles on their faces disappear and true worrisome takes over Maria’ face.

“Coulson’s plan is flawed,” Natasha speaks lowly, careful that her tone does not reach Skye’s ears. “He’s taking May in there and we both know why.”

Phil has never really been the careless type but Natasha hasn’t been around for when he came back from the death either, and when she did meet with him after she’d realized that he’d _changed_. The old Phil is still there but there is a new side to him that she’d never seen before and that it’ll only comes out when Skye is around. Now, she isn’t sure whether that side was always there or if that connection can be accredited to the very particular DNA that runs through their veins. Whatever the reason, Natasha is sure that Coulson’s need to protect Skye is why he lied to all of them about his plans for this meeting, including her.

“I just wish you’d be more careful.” Maria says softly, almost insecurely, so out of character and Natasha wants to say something reassuring that can make Maria feel more at ease, but she settles for, “they’ll never know what hit them,” instead. Maria nods sadly and schools her features before checking the magazine of her gun. No vulnerability to see anymore. For a brief moment Natasha wonders if Maria will ever get tired of showing her glimpses of the person underneath the Lieutenant and deep down wishes she would. 

“No, they won’t.” Maria agrees before going back to check with Lincoln on the wheel. They’re almost there.

Natasha takes a deep breath with her eyes closed. She knew Maria will be ready to engage in combat if necessary, she’s an Agent and she’s almost as good as Natasha, so she shouldn’t be worried about the possibilities but she can’t ignore the sinking feeling on her stomach when she thinks about Maria being anywhere close to Red Cross and suddenly she understands why Coulson kept part of his plan to himself.

…

TEN MINUTES PRIOR – TEAM BETA’ VAN

“We’re uncommunicated.” Fitz announces, looking at his tablet in mid-shock when he can’t even reach Skye through their own private unscripted line.

“Nothing changes. We knew this could happen. We move along, everyone must be on their positions already.” Coulson says as Jemma winces visibly. Somehow knowing that Skye was reachable was making all of this a bit easier to handle. She really doesn’t lying, especially to Skye.

She repeats to herself that everything will be fine, that this is just Coulson’s way to be safe because they are absolutely sure that Red Cross isn’t alone at the Restaurant tonight. Besides, it’s not like Jemma is an amateur or anything –although that’s how she feels when her skill are put to the test-, she’s been training with Agent Morse and Skye has made it a personal gold to have her ready for any outcome in case she found herself in the middle of combat but Jemma still hasn’t learnt how to control the raging fear that sometimes strikes her out of nowhere when a fist flies to her face, and this situation feels just like that. She’s supposed to train with Agent May for that but they haven’t really had any down time to do it yet.

“We can do this.” Melinda says, her eyes trained on Jemma’s, who nods but winces again.

“I just feel so terribly bad that Skye doesn’t know about this and really I just don’t understand why the secrecy, I mean we’re all a team.”

“It’ll only worry her.” Fitz reasons and Jemma knows he’s right but it still feels wrong that Director Coulson has kept a part of his plan from Skye and her team.

“I’ll be right outside,” Bobbie tells her with a calming hand on her knee. “You can do this.” She says looking right into Jemma’s eyes and that’s not really the problem because she can do undercover –she’s done it before and came out a live, which is a win-, the real problem is that she knows Skye, and Jemma is absolutely sure that her girlfriend wouldn’t have approved of this plan because she’s not sure if she approves of it to be quiet honest. Everything has been arranged too quickly, too lightly in order to not lose Agent Carter and Jemma could recite at least fifteen different ways that this could all go wrong from the top of her head, but Coulson is calmed and it does give her hope that he knows what he’s doing.

“We won’t let anything happen to you,” Coulson says and then he cracks a smile that lacks its usual mirth but still feels reassuring. “Besides, May and Mack will be with you. I’m already jealous.”

Jemma forces out a smile and adjusts the coat on her shoulders. Communications or not, they need to do this and she’s gotta trust that everyone is already on their designated spots. Skye, Hunter, Lincoln, Natasha and Maria will be the closest team to the Restaurant and Skye was supposed to run operations from the van but with the systems down Jemma is sure that her girlfriend will be going out on foot as well. Air extraction is ready in case is needed, the snipers have left HQ a minute before they did and Crystal Team must already be in place, ready to watch their backs.

At first it was decided that Coulson would go inside and approach Agent Carter and her mysterious companion by himself and although they knew that the communications might be lost when they near their destination, everyone was to stick to their orders. Only the Director himself has already given their team different orders while they rode the van and she’s pretty sure Natasha Romanov is not the kind to seat and wait either.

Now, Jemma, Agent Mack and Agent May are to enter the Restaurant undercover before Coulson does. Their plan is flawed to put it lightly. God, Jemma hates that word.

…

DEL POSTO RESTAURANT

_“Guess what? Your friends are here!”_

Sharon wants to look to the sliding doors to check for herself but she refrains from it, mostly because Red Cross is watching her like a hawk, almost daring her to look and prove for herself that she isn’t lying. Little does she know that by now Agent thirteen doesn’t have a problem to believe the words that leave her mouth.

“What do you want?” She asks again and in the blink of an eye she manages to see three members of Coulson’s team taking their seats at a table close to the emergency exit and with a perfect view of the guards that sit around them. Sharon knows they are not alone, Coulson is nothing if not prepared, she hopes tonight isn’t an exception to that.

“Right now?” Red Cross smiles softly, her tone makes Sharon think of cats for some reason. “To get to know you.”

Agent Carter allows herself to squint her eyes and meet the inquisitive stare of her captor. Was she accurate in her suspicious of an attraction before? If so, she’s afraid her escape is not even a possibility now.

Sharon swallows but doesn’t break eye contact, it’s important to show no fear she tells herself but the longer she looks into Red Cross’ eyes, the more she realizes that this woman doesn’t need to hear screams to know the feelings she provokes and it does scare her, it scares her more than she’s willing to admit even to herself.

“I’m not that interesting,” she clears her throat and takes a sip of her wine. She thinks of Natasha and the countless times she’s seen her do this from a hidden spot or even hear her doing it through their earpieces, how easy the Black Widow has made it seem to play with danger like this. _Sex is a weapon,_ Sharon recalls Natasha say. She should have learnt how to use it better.

“I can make you interesting. Only if you want.” Red Cross ads that last part as an afterthought and Sharon is tempted to dig into that but she doesn’t need to because the woman explains herself almost immediately. “I promised you that you’ll go home and I intent to keep that promise, so help me do it, yeah?”

The human inside of her wants to compromise and accept these terms but the Agent in Sharon is much greater and she’s already been made here, she won’t give this murdered what she wants just because she’s being promised freedom, no, her duty to the people, to SHIELD is much bigger than that.

“My friends won’t negotiate with you.” Red Cross laughs, reminding Sharon of who she really is. The woman’s shoulders shake in amusement, her eyes shining with how much sick fun she’s having.

“No, love. Of course not! SHIELD will negotiate with you, not me.”

So Red Cross knows exactly who Sharon is and who she works for, then again the entire world knows that she used to be an Agent of SHIELD before the fall but not now, and not this recent. Whoever is fetching this woman her information is working on SHIELD and all Sharon can think about is, _not again._   

When Red Cross takes her hand in the middle of the table Sharon realizes how pained her expression has turned. She refuses to let the woman get under her skin but apparently that’s not her option anymore. Red Cross’ cold hand gives a little squeeze before she lets go in order to pick up her fork.

“The food is getting cold.” She comments but Sharon doesn’t have the stomach to eat, not when she sees Director Coulson walk right through the doors and stride directly to their table.

She’s about to get up, warn him, try and maybe fail to escape –it’d be so much better to try and die while trying- but an icy hand is suddenly gripping her wrist in a dead lock. “You see,” Red Cross purses her lips and thoughtfully scratches behind her ear as she immobilizes Sharon. “I’m really not carrying the detonator here and I really like this suit. And seriously, eat.”

Sharon observes the woman go back to her eating but her guard doesn’t really go down. Did Red Cross just admit that she’d survive an explosion? And who is on the other side of that earpiece?

She looks to her right when movement catches her eye, the Director is a foot away from her now, and she’s speechless. In the past SHIELD would have had no problem dealing with someone of the nature of Red Cross but Sharon knows that that isn’t the case anymore. Coulson is doing his best to rebuilt SHIELD but it’s a long process and he’s only getting started. They don’t have the means to deal with this, with Red Cross and yes, it’s scary because they will need help.

“Are you okay?” He asks but Sharon barely manages to nod. She’s fine, she’s healthy, she’s… _fine_ and she’s pretty sure that he’s breaking protocol by asking her that. But he takes it. “Is this sit taken?” He asks coolly, turning his attention to Red Cross who slowly looks up, chewing at a piece of red meat before she points a finger at him and shakes it.

“Actually it is,” she smiles politely as Coulson finishes his inspection of the place. Yup, it is a trap and he’s literally standing in the middle of it. “I’m waiting for someone else.”

“Red Cross. Let’s just get this over with.” Sharon interrupts her. Coulson’ eyes widen for a millisecond before he really looks at his Agent. So this is Red Cross, a young woman who knows about expensive Restaurants and drinks classy wine while eating her fancy Italian food.

“I must say, I’ve been looking forward to meet you.” He smiles, proud that he recovers as quickly as he does from his shock but Red Cross is no longer looking at him.

“Help me keep that promise, please.” Red Cross begs Agent Carter and Coulson takes note of how scared Sharon looks. His worrisome instantly increases and while he still believes that Agent Thirteen is very capable to take care of herself, he’s never seen her like this.

“Why don’t you let Sharon leave and we can have a little chat?”

“Why don’t _you_ leave and let us go back to our meal? It’s getting cold, y’know?” Red Cross shoots back, still not looking at Coulson. “Eat.” She orders Sharon but when the Agent reaches out she doesn’t grab her fork, she takes Red Cross’ hand instead.

“Who do you want to talk to?” Her tone although tense, it comes out contained and clear, just enough to let Red Cross know how hard she’s trying to play along. She likes games after all, doesn’t she?

Red Cross clicks her tongue and extracts her hand from underneath Sharon’s very slowly, she shakes her head disapprovingly. “There is a reason why I picked you.” The words hit Sharon stronger than they should. She knew she had been watched but Red Cross is implying something deeper than that, they weren’t only spying on her and following her tracks enough to know when to take her, no; they have been studying her.  

“I believe the person who I’ve been waiting for has arrived.”

Coulson and Sharon look at the door to see the Black Widow –not Natasha- walk inside the Restaurant with all the confidence one could only imagine to see in a woman who spends most of her time teasing them all back HQ when she’s around, but then again they’ve never forgotten who is behind the cool façade.

The first thought to run through Sharon’s mind is that she actually has a chance to leave with her friends tonight, walk out of here alive but then Red Cross is sliding a tablet on the table towards her and she doesn’t know if she wants to cry out of anger or simply out of desperation. The truth is that the image on the screen is divided in four, four specific populated locations where Red Cross has hostages to her mercy and bombs activated ready to blow hundreds of people in a million pieces.

The first image shows a cinema filled with teens and four staff members tied up and gagged to the floor, next to it there is a wedding reception where the bride’s dress has been tainted red, right down the first image Sharon can see hundreds of people on their knees in what seems to be a wagon of one of the subways’ trains and the last image shows a room filled with at least thirty girls on their knees and in different states of mistreatment, she can’t recognize where they might be at.

“You don’t have a detonator.” Sharon recites and Red Cross smiles through her mouthful before she shrugs her shoulders.

“I don’t.” She chirps up.

Their eyes lock just as Natasha stops at their table. Sharon doesn’t say anything as she passes the tablet towards her friend and waits.

“I usually get an introduction before threats rain.” Natasha speaks and Red Cross smiles as she meets her eye.

“And you’ll get one as soon as we’re left alone.” Natasha looks at Coulson, who doesn’t seem happy to see her there but at the same time grateful that she is, it’s a weird combination but they both know that he needs to check the places indicated on the tablet.

So he turns around but is not allowed to leave the Restaurant, instead he is escorted to the table with the rest of his team on it by a gentleman that has been sitting close to the door. So the entire place is filled with Red Cross’ people, not only the guards but apparently the costumers and staff.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Red Cross laughs at Sharon’s expression, obviously having caught what the Agent is seeing. “It wasn’t my idea and not everyone in here is with me. The second floor is filled with civilians who have no idea what they’re doing here. Isn’t that exciting? To be somewhere and don’t know if it’s the last place you’ll be?”

“If you’re into that kind of thing.” Natasha says as the woman indicates for her to take a seat by her right.

For a moment Sharon can see real delight in Red Cross’ eyes as she takes in the image of Natasha but then she’s letting out a burst of laughter and clapping her hands together in complete and utter joy, it’s off-putting and so frightening because Sharon knows exactly what this all is for Red Cross. A game.

“We’re gonna have so much fun together!” She announces as Natasha drags the tablet closer to see for herself the footage that is being displayed.

“Before we do that,” Natasha says. “How about that introduction?”

“You know who I am, just like I know who you are and who that guy is, along with the other three. And let’s not forget about the ones outside, I know about them too. Especially about the one who makes things shake. Does she have a nickname yet? A superhero alias?”

Information is power and power is dangerous. Natasha smirks carelessly, she was expecting something but this has definitely surpassed those expectations. Red Cross is surely not what she supposed it was going to be and she was wishing that it was a man, men are so much easier to get rid of.

“What do you want with SHIELD?” They’ve been made, Natasha sees no point in trying to convince this woman otherwise and there is absolutely no way that she is going to say anything about Skye.

“I want it gone. For good this time.”

Natasha smirks softly, her eyes scanning the place before she focuses on Red Cross again. She guesses is a good thing to know that this woman isn’t working alone, has some very powerful friends that have unfinished business with SHIELD and count themselves with exclusive technology and there is only one Organization that will go against SHIELD this way.

“You can’t erase us. I tried, remember?”

Red Cross laughs, amused to even be having this conversation. “I won’t be doing it. You will and this time you won’t leave anything working.” She finally states.

Natasha smiles this time, flashing teeth and counting all the ways she could off this woman once and for all. She doesn’t even need a gun to do it in nine different forms, fifteen is she uses a plate.

“And what makes you think that I’d betray SHIELD for you?”

“Nat, don’t.” Sharon shakes her head furiously when Natasha meets her stare and it makes her confidence tremble, fortunately not enough to let it show but still.

Natasha has been Sharon’s go to Agent if she ever needed assistant on a mission for a couple of years back in the day and they’ve faced pretty rough situations, even getting shot multiple times and carrying each other towards extraction, they’ve been beaten down for information and escaped together but Natasha has never seen Sharon scared, not until today.

But what puts Natasha off is the fact that Sharon saw right through her, she saw the moment Natasha decided to go for the kill and impended her to go through with it, which only means that Sharon has already tried to escape herself and saw something that they haven’t yet.  

“No need to defend me, love.” Red Cross smirks and then she’s smiling, her eyes widening so before she clasps twice in excitement. “But you can tell her what you know. Go on! Tell her! I’ll help if you forget any little detail!”

Natasha gives Sharon a look that obviously says - _is this one for real?-_ but what she gets in response is much worse. “Red Cross has special abilities, like super strength, maybe telekinesis…”

“You noticed that?” Red Cross interrupts the Agent but Natasha is already calculating the time and precision she’ll need to put a bullet in Red Cross’ head. Super strength or not, she won’t be able to survive that. “Did you also notice the way I can’t get hurt? Because that’s my favorite!”

Can’t get hurt, huh. Natasha will have to put that to the test tonight, she needs to know exactly what she’s facing.

“She’s carrying enough bombs to wipe out at least three blocks, she doesn’t have the detonator and there are two girls that…”

“The girls,” Red Cross whispers to herself but cutting Sharon off anyway and the way she says leads Sharon to believe that she’s forgotten about the two girls from the bathroom. It sickens her and it enrages to not be able to put this woman down. And then Red Cross is calling one of her men over. “Bring me one of the toys.”

Natasha isn’t known for her soft spots, quite the opposite really but this is the softest of spots Red Cross is poking at. So as Natasha picks up the nearest fork on the table a dozen of memories from the Red Room flash through her eyes and she remembers the beatings, the starving, the blood, the surgery and she remembers that word and feeling like a toy, a weapon, an asset that could easily be replaced; she remembers the experiments, the cold showers in the middle of the night, the broken bones and the helplessness that made her into nothing more than less of a human being.

But that’s not why she attacks Red Cross but it’s enough of an excuse. So she buries the fork in Red Cross’ neck, right where her jugular is and she’d never admit how glad it makes her to see that this monster actually bleeds.

Coulson jumps to his feet at the first sign of an attack as May takes one of the guards down and Mack another, they take their guns and hand one to Simmons as well but they are surrounded, literally and figuratively with eleven men pointing their guns only at them and all the Agents take note of how not a single one of these men have turned to help Red Cross herself.

There is laughter, loud and booming as Red Cross takes out the fork from her neck and takes it to her mouth to lick her own blood while Natasha observes with an innocent smirk adorning her lips. Sharon is being held by Red Cross’ free hand.  

“I had to check.” Natasha shrugs her shoulders making Red Cross laugh even harder. Her blood has soaked through her jacket and she stands up to take it off, and Sharon wonders if she even knows that she’s putting on a show, as sick as it  is.

Red Cross throws her jacket to the floor as her men push the tables and chairs against the walls, the staff is nowhere in sight and the people form the second floor are being rushed down the stairs and on their knees as soon as they touch ground. The soft classical music from before has been turned off and it’s been replaced by muffled cries of help and groans of pain.

However, the most shocking view is what Red Cross was hiding underneath her jacket and is now at full display for all the SHIELD agents to see.

“Mmmmm,” Red Cross moans with her eyes closed, stretching her neck back and to the sides. “Don’t you just love how easy it is to draw blood?” She asks with her eyes locked on Natasha but before either Natasha or Sharon can think of an answer a knife is ripping through Natasha’s hand and impaling it on the table.

A groan dies between Natasha’s tongue and teeth when she hears gunfire but she can’t see the moment Red Cross disarms Coulson and his team with a simple movement of her hand.

“Get over here!” She invites them and that sickly sweet smile is still on her lips and Natasha hates, she _hates_ this human experiments so much.

“Please.” Sharon says, her tone obviously defeated. “Please don’t do this, please.”

“I made two promises tonight, do you remember them?” Sharon nods, not trusting her voice anymore. “I haven’t broken either one of them, have I? Use your words.”

“Stop this!” Coulson yells as he’s being roughly pushed closer to their table. “Let my Agents go. I’m the Director of SHIELD, if you have any demands I’m the guy you want to talk to.”

“How about we shut him up?” Red Cross offers with an amused chuckle before pulling out the knife from Natasha’s hand and knocking her chair backwards, sending her to the floor. “Oh, no.” She catches Sharon by the arm -just as she moves to Natasha’s aid- and pulls her back to sit on her chair. “You’d only hurt her pride, love.”

Natasha stands up and she’s also smiling deviously, her hand is aching but the pain is nothing she hasn’t experienced before.

“Release these people and then we’ll negotiate.” Sharon speaks as Red Cross presses her hands on her shoulders to keep her sitting down.

“That’s not how it works, love.” Red Cross says as her fingers begin to softly massage Sharon’s tense shoulders.

“Then how does it works?” Coulson demands to know, making Red Cross roll her eyes in annoyance.

“Wanna tap the screen twice for me?” Red Cross asks and Sharon looks at her friends asking for help but they all are being held behind at this point, guns pointing right at their heads. She taps the screen twice, as told, and this time she can’t suppress the gasp that leaves her mouth when a clock spears initiating the countdown for ten minutes in the first image.

“Thanks.” Red Cross smiles and takes the tablet from her hands. “Now we begin.”

…


	4. A couple more

Natasha has never been fond of silence, unfortunately that’s all she can hear as she sees the numbers count down on the tablet Sharon is holding up from the chair she’s currently frozen on.

There are four guns pointing at her head and at least a dozen more from the lobby. Her left hand is bleeding profusely and if she were to look closely she’s sure she could see the other side from the hole on her palm but that would be too morbid, so instead she slowly kneels down to grab a napkin from the floor and wraps it tightly around the wound to try to stop the bleeding. No one tries to stop her.

The clock indicates nine and ten seconds as Natasha considers her options. She could fight the four guys closest to her, it’d be easy to disarm them but she wouldn’t be able to cover up the rest of the team; granted, if she makes a move Sharon, Coulson, Mack and May would also attack but she isn’t sure of what other little magic trick Red Cross is hiding and it’s too much of a risk.

No, she can’t put the rest of them in danger, if she were alone she would definitely go for the fight but there are too many risks, too many guns pointing at people that she cares about and wouldn’t stand the idea of losing them.

“Stop the countdown.” Red Cross laughs softly at her request and Natasha grins at receiving the reaction she was expecting. From the corner of her eye she sees movement and not a second later two bodies collide on the floor ungraciously.

“What the hell!” Mack yells and hits one of the guards on the jaw before he also falls down nesting a fresh gunshot on his right thigh provided by a second guy.

Natasha glares back at Red Cross but the woman simply shrugs, Sharon hasn’t been able to look up from the countdown, she’s probably in shock.

“Nighty night.” Red Cross waves at Coulson and May’s unconscious bodies a few feet behind Natasha, and the damn smile is still gracing her thin red lips.

“Cut the crap and let’s get this over with.” Natasha flares up but Red Cross has gone back to massage Sharon’ shoulders with an almost poetic care and it looks unnaturally natural the way she does it that it makes Natasha cringe internally.

“Every minute of my time is valuable,” Red Cross runs her fingers through Sharon’s hair once before rounding her chair and taking the tablet from the Agent’s hands. “So I might charge you for the ones you waste.”

Natasha’ jaw clenches instinctively wondering how the hell this crazy person will charge her with anything and fearing the answer because she’s surrounded by people she cares about. She looks over shoulder and takes in the image of Jemma and how terrified she looks standing in the middle of five idiots pointing their guns to her head.

“Let them get out of here and we’ll go somewhere else to discuss what you want me to do. I’m the one you want after all.”

Red Cross laughs, louder than before, louder than Natasha has seen her do tonight and she blinks in confusion. Isn’t this what she wants? Natasha working for her?

“Oh, honey!” The blonde grins widely but carefully avoiding getting too close to where the Black Widow stands. “No one is leaving this place until we have negotiated.”

“Then let’s do it.”

“Oh no, I’m not good with that kind of stuff.” Red Cross waves one hand in the air before gripping Sharon’s shoulder again.

The clock indicates eight minutes seven seconds now. “Stop the countdown.”

“No, can’t do, ma’am! Oh check it! It’s been two minutes of you and me standing here. I’m charging you.”

Red Cross closes the distance between her and a young couple who have been unfortunately having dinner on the second floor and without preamble or a sign of compassion she breaks the man’s neck with a swift motion of her hands before sliding the girl’ throat with another table knife.

It happens too fast and between the screams and cries of the rest of the customers Natasha moves to attack but she’s abruptly stopped when she’s blinded by the pain on a side of her waist. She’s felt this pain before, in the same place and just as unexpectedly.

Her eyes fill with unshed tears and she grabs at the new wound as she kneels slowly on the floor. Two persons, two minutes. The longest Natasha takes with this negotiation more people will die and maybe more bullets will find their way into her body.

Sharon is looking at her now but her eyes are glassy and red, and Natasha realizes that her friend is terrified of what’s happening and because she must be convinced that there is nothing they can do to protect any of these people or even themselves, Natasha is beginning to doubt they’d walk out of here alive too but she’s not defeated yet.

“Oh, there is my toy!” Red Cross announces happily with a few claps of her hands as a girl is brought to her. Natasha recognizes her as Samantha Gregg, one of the girls that were kidnapped on Saint Tropez half a day ago and Sharon finally blinks in recognition. The girl is still dressed in only her underwear but her appearance has deteriorated visibly, Sharon doesn’t want to think about what they’ve done to her and she looks away.

“Over here! Put her on the table!” Red Cross orders two guards and Sharon sees an opportunity when one of the men gets a little too close to her and she takes it by snatching a gun from his belt before knocking him out with a well-placed hit to the head and she’s about to point her gun at the person responsible for all of this when she’s hit in the head from behind and falls to the ground, just like she did to the guard two seconds ago.

Someone kicks the gun away from her hand and she uses her free hand to cradle her head but even before she can grunt her pain Red Cross is kneeling by her side and lifting her -almost- effortlessly in her arms and taking her to a nearby chair to sit her down and it’s obvious how much concern the woman is feeling.

“Sharon, are you okay?” Red Cross questions her worriedly and Natasha sees the scene unfold as if in slow motion, she sees Sharon’s wide eyes and disbelief painting on her face as she nods slowly. “Can you talk?” Red Cross asks, frowning and reaching out but never truly touching Sharon’s face, it appears as if for a second she’s afraid of rejection.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

It’s not hard to pick up on the disgust lacing Sharon’s tone, the hard part is keeping up with what Red Cross does to the guy that hit Sharon in the head with the butt of his gun a moment ago. Natasha sees the arm twist and dislocated shoulder through the man’s screams but after that all she hears are bones breaking and blood splashing on RC’ face; and still one bone after another breaks until the man is finally quiet and Red Cross’ hands are once again dripping with blood, and Natasha realizes how fast the woman truly is.

So there is a heart that _feels_ inside of Red Cross’ chest. Natasha has dealt with a few nutcases in the past but nothing like this, nothing as extreme as what Red Cross has proven herself to be but now she’d just killed one of her own men because of Sharon and Natasha doesn’t know what to make of that. However, Sharon has already proven to be a weakness and if Red Cross is as clever as she paints herself to be then she wouldn’t let Natasha live after she’s discovered this.

“Let’s not let the big guy bleed out.” Red Cross orders casually and looking at a wide eyed Mack on the back. Sharon and Natasha share a look but neither Agent is able to transmit anything but confusion and fear to the other, mostly confusion.

But when Natasha looks behind to see in fact one of the guards tiding up a piece of cloth around Mack’ leg she feels her heart sink lower than before because Jemma isn’t around anymore. Sharon seems to notice this at the same time because she’s on her feet in a second despise of how dizzy she is.

“Where is Jemma?” She demands to know and Red Cross smiles at her.

“You don’t need to worry about her, I promise.”

“Your promises are beginning to sound very empty now.”

“No! No, no, no.” Red Cross shakes her head as she pushes Sharon softly back to her chair and Natasha fights to stay awake, she’s losing a lot of blood and the pain is fading away which isn’t a good sing.

“Where is Jemma?” Sharon repeats but even from her weaken state Natasha can see how woozy her fellow Agent is at the moment.

“Don’t worry about her.” Red Cross says again before returning to the table where Samantha is lying frozen in fear. “Clock is ticking, Black Widow.”

Natasha blinks away some fogginess, her breathing is accelerating and she grunts in pain as she sits up upright and Red Cross pulls a large knife from somewhere in between the bombs that cover her pale torso.

“Let my team go – I’ll stay here.” With her eyes closed tightly Natasha hopes that her message is clearly heard but of course she has no such luck.

The sound of fabric being ripped apart makes Natasha open up her eyes, although staying awake is proving more and more difficult with each passing second; she sees that Red Cross has destroyed the girl’s bra and it’s currently caressing Samantha’s skin with the blade of her knife.

Samantha is crying, the tears flowing effortlessly down the sides of her face and it’s obvious that she’s terrified but she’s also putting great effort in remaining as still as possible.

A pool of blood has gathered around the couple that Red Cross killed not even a minute ago and Sharon sees the bodies lying on the floor through fuzzy eyes, she’s aware that the hit she took a moment ago should have put her straight to sleep but somehow that hasn’t happened, however she’s feeling dizzier as the seconds click by and that’s not a good sign either.

She tries to push every ill feeling aside but it’s harder than she anticipates. On one hand she sees Coulson and May knocked out on the floor, as Natasha and Mack slowly bleed out and the absence of Jemma digs a hole in her stomach that she’s not sure she can take. On the other hand there are too many civilians at risk inside the restaurant and outside of it, not to mention the girl on the table that Red Cross seems to be worshiping at the moment with her knife.

It happens quickly, one moment she’s trying to get Natasha’s attention because it’s time to accept that neither one of them is going anywhere and the next Red Cross is stabbing the girl once, right in the stomach.

A scream of pain seems to pull a numb threat within Sharon but as soon as she tries to hold onto it she’s falling off the chair in slow motions and the Restaurant is spinning all around her.

“Oh, come on.” Red Cross laughs mockingly at her victim’s face. “That was barely a scratch! But nice pair of lungs, kudos for that!”

Sharon sees two men chuckling at hearing the words of their boss and she feels sick, mostly because she’s proven herself to be absolutely useless against this murderer and her band of armed brainless idiots but she has no time to duel on self-pity when Red Cross is once again kneeling beside her.

“It’s no time for a nap, love. You still have a job to do.” This time Sharon isn’t helped on her feet or even to a nearby chair, no, Red Cross seems to understand how dizzy she feels or perhaps she’s done showing any weak side for the night. “Oh, look! Another minute has gone by!”

Natasha says something that Sharon can’t quite make out through the throb in her head and then she listen to several women screaming before a violent crack puts an end to one of them. This time she does get sick and barely manages to turn around to hurl as the lifeless body of a woman falls to the ground only a feet away from her.

“Seven minutes left!” Red Cross announces with a sickening innocent smile adorning her red lips and tears finally gather in Sharon’s eyes. They’ve failed already, innocent people have died in their presence.

“What do you want?!” Natasha shouts and in the back Mack is finally rendered unconscious after he tries to take down another guy.

“I want to draw a pretty, pretty cross right here.” Red Cross singsongs, her fingers tapping on the girl’s skin and Sharon knows what’s coming next, they’ve seen the victims before and this girl is about to become another one of those symbolic triumphs.

“No, please.” She begs and she knows she’ll feel embarrassed when she has the right mind to recall this night but right now everything is too raw to try to cover up her fear with impractical masks.  

“Oh no, love. Sorry but I can’t stop now.”

“Please.” Sharon begs out loud, two traitor tears falling down on the floor where she kneels.

Red Cross stares at her with an unreadable expression before she shakes her head as a pout takes over her lower lip. “This is my toy.”

Later, Sharon will relive this moment and ask herself why it was this particular expression on Red Cross’ face that made her realize something very important, the reason why she was taken in the first place. She was brought to negotiate, Red Cross knew Natasha wouldn’t agree to her plans from the beginning.

The girl on the table is stabbed again and multiple times after that, and Sharon loses focus as the blood splashes out and paints Red Cross’ skin. She loses herself in the way Red Cross smiles sadistically at her work and doesn’t seem to ever want to stop, Sharon recognizes pure addiction in the woman’s eyes and it’s not for killing or staving, no, it’s the blood that makes her smile and breathe in deeply at it’s scent, and she keeps doing it because she can’t get enough. That’s why even her own blood seemed like such a turn on when she was licking it from the table knife.

Sharon has seen many people die as an Agent of SHIELD but this is by far the hardest thing that she has ever had to watch and by the look on Natasha’ face she’s not alone in feeling this way.

“Tell me what you want.” Natasha says again, her voice sounding weaker but her request goes ignored again.

The girl on the table has stopped screaming and Sharon can’t tear her eyes away from the bloody mess that her body has become. What stops Red Cross from doing that to her or Jemma, now that she’s taken her as well?

Agent Carter knows that she can’t allow her own fears to take over her because she is still an Agent of SHIELD and her duty is to protect civilians, it is her job to put the lives of others before her own, but the knowledge does nothing to minimize how terrified she is and how hopeless she feels after every attempt she’s made has been in vain, she hasn’t been able to safe anyone from Red Cross’ hands and she isn’t sure if she’ll be able to in the near future.

“No, no, please.” The voice of a man comes to her ears and Sharon really shouldn’t look because she has no strength to put another fight and the entire place is still spinning, her head feels twice it’s normal size and she won’t be able to do anything to defend this man; but she looks and she vomits again in sync with the man’s scream of horror at having Red Cross cutting off two of his fingers.

“I’m going to enjoy killing you when the time comes.” Natasha’s voice carries out a certain confidence that her current posture is surely not projecting but it gains Red Cross’ attention and everyone else’.

“It’s so cute that you think you’ll touch me.” Red Cross huffs amusedly and touching her chest as if the threat is somehow heartwarming.

“I _will_ kill you,” Natasha assures her, the ghost of a smirk on her lips. “But in the remote case I fail, be sure that my friends will carry on.”

“Are you talking about the Avengers?” Red Cross asks excitedly and clapping her blood soaked hands. “Because I’m a huge fan and I’d love to meet them all!”

Natasha rolls her eyes with the spare energy she has left and Red Cross laughs out loud, lost in thought and probably imagining how it’d be to meet the rest of the Avengers.

“Now,” Red Cross announces as she picks up the man whose fingers she just chopped off from the floor only to throw him down again to sit on his lower back. “You know, I don’t like men close to me at all. The skin is rougher, when they scream it sounds as if a wild dog is crying out in heat, they move in such a condescending way around women. Maybe they see glass instead of skin covering our bodies, maybe they believe we don’t present a threat to them because we’re not as buff or as tall, we don’t weight too much and our muscles can’t really do the thing theirs do, you know?”

Sharon blinks as she slips to the floor again, she wasn’t surrender unconscious before but she’s definitely cradling a concussion. But she notices the way Red Cross talks and she doesn’t seem so out of mind that Sharon wonders –yet again- if this woman is truly insane or is purely playing out a character that suits her best to do what she’s set her mind to.

“Is that line of thought that makes them so scared when a woman lashes out or talks back, let alone _fight_ back. It makes them crazy to think, to accept that we are just as capable, just as strong, just as smart and just as cruel as they are, and maybe even more.”

Red Cross breaks the man’s neck without wasting another second, the hostages cry out in dismay once more but not out of surprise. “Six minutes, Widow.”

“Natasha,” Sharon calls her out and she has to truly fight to stay focus this time. “Talk to me, let’s negotiate.”

Red Cross smiles proudly at her direction but only Natasha takes notice of it. At least now she knows why Sharon was taken in the first place “I can’t take down SHIELD.”

“Not at once, you can’t.” Sharon agrees. “How long will it take?”

They both know that Natasha isn’t going to take down SHIELD but they do need time to take Red Cross out and so far this might be the only way they’ll do that.

“I don’t know – I don’t know how it operates anymore,” Natasha admits before a coughing fit takes her by surprise and she grunts in pain. “I’m not officially back yet. Coulson doesn’t trust me and if he’s as smart as I remember him to be, then he trusts no one – he – he must have – there is a council that operates above him; that much I know.”

“The Council is small, four members. Their operations don’t always run through Coulson and they keep busy.”

Natasha grins through a grotesque cough. “That must sting.”

“He whines about it all the time.” Sharon allows herself to smile back before Natasha nods curtly. “Their location is unknown, even to Coulson.”

“They keep contact though, so there are lines and inscriptions.”

“I assume they do. You know they’re trying to put it back together, so my guess will be hunting down every possible asset around the globe. They won’t be easy to catch.”

From the distance separating them Natasha and Sharon look at each other tiredly. This isn’t the first time they’ve been in a situation where they’ve been both beat to the ground and have to communicate without actual words. So Sharon nods once as she greets her teeth and accepts that she’ll have to remain where she is to give Natasha a chance to save them both. This isn’t the first time she’d be trusting the Black Widow with her life.

Natasha coughs again, the blood has soaked her jeans and she can see her skin paling, she won’t last long. So she plans out loud and hopes that Red Cross eats her words.

“I go off the radar. I located them, shut down their operations one by one until all its left is Coulson and the bases here at the United States. Once every lead out of this Continent is erased the rest will be a piece of cake.”

Despite herself Sharon shivers at how serious Natasha is, especially because she is aware of how capable the Black Widow is and she doesn’t doubt that Natasha can actually do this, erase SHIELD once and for all but she reminds herself that she trusts her, that it’s been years since she became more than just a fellow Agent and into a friend.

“It’ll take a while.”

“A couple of months. Now let’s make this a negotiation. I accept to do this if the clocks are stopped right now and all these people are released along with Simmons.” Natasha manages to spit it all out without missing a beat and it doesn’t take long before Red Cross is laughing again.

“Oh no, that’s not how it works.” Red Cross laughs and two minutes have passed without her killing anyone else. At least she’s no longer charging anyone with anything.

“No one else has to die.” Sharon says as the woman walks slowly towards her and the Agents takes note of how bloodier she looks now but they try to ignore it.

“That’s not how it works either.”

“The how does it works?” Natasha spits out, she’s no longer confident that she’ll stay conscious a minute longer.

“The kids on that movie theater are going to die tonight,” Red Cross says easily. “The people in here will also die!” She chuckles, going back to the body on the table where she goes right back at carving with her knife. “This toy is already dead and the one at home will die as well.”

“Release them or there is no deal!” Natasha says and she sees red when the woman doesn’t give any indication that she’s listening to her.

“This is a negotiation, you have to give something in return.” Sharon speaks and although she feels ridiculous for even trying to reason with Red Cross she at least has to try.

“And I will!” Red Cross chirps up. “I won’t kill the Jemma girl or the ones lying around. There, I negotiate.”

“That’s not what…”

Sharon looks over to where Natasha was speaking just to realize that she’s passed out and it scares her too much because she doesn’t know how long it’ll take before Nat gets some medical attention and she’s already lost too much blood; she doesn’t even know if Coulson and May are alive or what they were injected with, Sharon has no idea where Jemma went and the only thing she does know makes her wish for unconsciousness because she is certain that Red Cross won’t let her go.

“Oh, she’s dead.” Red Cross wonders out loud as she looks at Natasha and this time Sharon doesn’t fight back sleep when it comes again.

…

OUTSIDE OF DEL POSTO RESTAURANT

There are at least a hundred armed men, suited up and with helmets covering their identities guarding the Restaurant’s front and back doors.

“Something is so very wrong.” Bobbie breathes out as she stands beside Maria Hill behind a wall. It’s been nine minutes since Coulson walked inside the Restaurant with three Agents and eight minutes since she saw Natasha Romanoff do the same thing and so far none of them have made any kind of contact or shown a sign that they’re still alive. The guards have appeared not long after their friends walked inside.

Maria for her part is one hundred per cent sure that everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong by this point, and she wishes she could say that after knowing Natasha for as long as she has she believes that the woman is as untouchable as they say she is but time has only shown her just how human Natasha Romanoff can be.

She tells herself that she’ll wait ten minutes before going in and she will get inside that damn Restaurant, no matter what it takes but ten minutes prove to be too long.

A black Mercedes suddenly parks just outside of the front door and three men get inside before it speeds off. “What’s happening?” Bobbie worriedly asks by her side but another car parks in the recently cleared spot and then another right behind it along with three large busses. Men are pouring out of the Restaurant, they’re mixing with the ones outside of it. Three more cars park side by side and then two more.

Maria sees Skye coming out from the corner of the street followed by Hunter and with one look up at the nearest building she confirms that Crystal team has their backs from up there, so she signals for Bobbie to follow her. Whoever was inside that Restaurant with Sharon is making their escape right now, Maria has no doubt about it and since there is still no sign of Coulson or _anyone_ else then they need to be the ones to stop them from getting away.

All six cars and three busses drive away in sync, leaving only one car behind. Bobbie stops walking and Maria freezes because it’s obviously a trap but Skye is too close and Hunter is almost at the door when the car explodes sending Bobbie, Maria and Skye flying backwards with its force.

Maria’s ears ring as she fights to sit up with Bobbie’ hand on her back. “I need to check on Hunter.” The Mockingbird says before speeding through the smoke and shattered glass, and Maria can only nod as she catches sight of a body a few feet away. Skye is unconscious but alive, a few cuts on her face from the glass but nothing serious, at least nothing that she can identify right now.

A couple of car alarms fill the air with loud and obnoxious rhythms as Maria rubs her eyes trying to get rid of the fogginess but she only ends up making it worse. Does Coulson even have an extraction team?

Bobbie reappears in her line of sight and Maria’ blood runs cold at the look on the blond’ face. “Hunter?”

“He’s alive, well, he’s still breathing.” Maria is on her feet in an instant, she can be hurt later, not now, now when Barbara is looking at her with so much sadness in her eyes.

She brushes off Bobbie’ hand when she tries to stop her from going inside the Restaurant and for a moment, only for a second all Maria can see is blood and friends unconscious but then she sees Natasha sitting in a pool of her own blood and she’s running.

There is a small part of her that hates her trained brain as it studies all the lifeless bodies lying around, all the death and specially the girl on the table with a cross carved on her skin.

“Nat?” She doesn’t recognize her own voice when she speaks but she does smile in relief when she checks for a pulse and finds one. “Nat, you’re gonna be okay. Stay with me.” Her earpiece isn’t working, her phone has crashed, she has no way to communicate and she needs help.

…

Hill has left the office in a haste, murmuring something about a personal  emergency almost a day ago, so naturally her boss has been keeping track of her whereabouts for all that time but JARVIS has lost track of Hill almost fifteen minutes ago and Tony has had no other choice than to check the last place she was seen.

When he saw the explosion he knew exactly where to go though. He finds a tall blond woman dressed in a SHIELD cat suit standing right outside of what it used to be a nice Restaurant he and Pepper frequented a while ago and he’d usually make a sarcastic comment of some nature but there are two bodies on the floor and the way she looks at him sends shivers down his back. JARVIS informs him that she can be trusted. But he keeps his mask in place, afraid that this Barbara Morse would see how afraid he is to walk inside.

JARVIS counts twenty seven death bodies and four unconscious, and Tony is pretty sure that he has never seen so much blood in his life. He has also never seen Maria Hill cry and he’s surprised to find out how heartbreaking of an image it paints, especially because of the reason of her tears.

“Tony,” she breathes out in relief when she sees him but both of them know that they don’t have the time to explain anything because Natasha has lost too much blood. They’ll talk later, he’ll make sure of it because he’s pretty sure that Coulson is the one lying a couple of feet to his right.

“JARVIS?”

“I recommend carrying her immediately to Medical Attention, sir.”

He nods as Maria stands back and he picks up his friend carefully in his arms. “We’ll be at the Tower.” He says before he walks to the door and takes off in a rush.

…


	5. Shaken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter so far, I hope you guys enjoy.

**…**

When Maria arrives to the Tower along with a sore Bobbie she finds out that Natasha, Mack and Hunter have been rushed into surgery as soon as they got here, and there’s not much they can do but wait.

But waiting turns into madness when she can hear the sirens out in the streets, the ambulances as they rush to several places at once. As far as Maria is concerned bombs have been placed into different places in the City and a cinema, a wedding reception, a subway train and a ballet academy have been attacked at the same time just minutes after Stark took Natasha in his arms.

They look like terrorist attacks but Maria knows that something is amiss, and she can’t shake the feeling that those bombs are somehow attached to Red Cross.

There are no mistakes in Maria Hill’s book, only opportunities to grow and learn. But as she passes the empty hall of the Medical floor in the Avengers’ Tower she has a hard time concentrating because the tactical part of her brain keeps remind her of how incredibly stupid they have all acted recently and they can’t afford to be stupid when they’re standing against someone like Red Cross.

Since when does she follow vain orders? She knew this was going to end badly, she could see at least a dozen ways that Coulson’ plan was flawed. Why didn’t she say something? Why didn’t she try to stop Natasha a little bit harder? And why the hell did Coulson take Simmons with him?

She hears commotion through her earpiece but she can’t make out what people are screaming, although she recognizes Coulson’ voice clearly as he pronounces one name only.

As if on cue Maria feels the ground begin to shake as the yelling increases and she closes her eyes in silent compassion. Someone must have informed Skye that Jemma has been taken away and Maria can’t even begin to phantom how much that must hurt nor does she envy the young Agent.

She does worry when the earthquake seems to gain strength and the windows begin to chattered against one another but then as sudden as it started, it stops, and she listens at Melinda through her earpiece clarify that she shot Skye with a tranquilizer when Coulson demands an explanation.

Both of them have been only put to sleep by Red Cross’ men according to Stark’ army of Doctors, they hadn’t even suffered from dizziness once they woke up and nothing out of the ordinary has been found in their DNA tests.

Maria ditches her earpiece when it’s confirmed that Skye is fine and refuses to go down to her floor and change her clothes when a worried Pepper stops by to try and persuade her. She’ll change her clothes when Natasha is out of the OR and stable, not before.

No one else comes by, not even Coulson and Maria is certain that she has Pepper to thank for that.

After a little more than an hour Natasha finally comes out of surgery and taken to a medium size room with a reasonable bed, a large black sofa and a set of chairs pushed to one end, and to the other there is a mini bar hosting a mini fridge on a side and a rational selection of scotch. There is also a flat screen hanging from a wall but Maria won’t be turning it on anytime soon.

She speaks with a Doctor who looks much younger than she expected him to be but that eases her mind effectively.

It had been a clean shot and mostly they have just patched up the damage left behind. The wound on her hand has been what kept them the longest but he’s optimistic towards the recovery of full motion of her nerves.

“Dr. Cho is on her way. Don’t worry about it.” Tony offers as he walks inside the room and heads straight for the bed where Natasha is lying unconscious and attached to several machines at once.

“When will she arrive?” Maria asks just after the Doctor that operated on her girlfriend excuses himself before his professionalism is further questioned by his boss.

“Ten hours tops.” Tony absentmindedly answers as he stares at his fellow Avenger. He’s seen Natasha get knocked down time after time in battle and get right back up but this is the first time he’s seeing her like this and it scares him to be once again reminded of just how human they all really are, well, except for Thor and Vision.

“You should get your eyebrow checked. Maybe grab something to eat and a change of clothes. I’ll stay here until you come back.”

Maria is hesitant to leave the room, she wants to be here when Natasha wakes up but she touches her eyebrows and hisses at how swollen her left one feels. Tony looks at her with a grimace and it eases her because he’s still Tony behind the soft eyes and trusting pose. She isn’t used to see this side of him.

“I won’t be long.”

“I’ll be right here.”

On her way to her designated floor on the Tower there is another earthquake but it’s far shorter than the first one. Last time she checked Skye was in complete control of her abilities, she’s even learnt how to extend the uses of manipulating vibrations and now all that control seems to be gone, right along with Jemma Simmons.  

The first thing on her list -once she’s on her floor- is a quick shower. Tony wasn’t exaggerating when he grimaced at her before, she’s been covered in dark dust and her hair reeks of smoke but she doesn’t chance a look at the mirror until after she’s out of the shower.

There is a small cut on top of her eyebrow that won’t need any stitches but she cleans it neatly before covering it with a small band aid from her cabinet.

She dresses quickly and practical -jeans, a top and a jacket- but forgets to eat before she makes her way to the Medical Floor again. This time she heads to check on Mack, who hasn’t woken up from surgery yet but according to his chart is doing well. However as she makes her way to where Hunter is still being operated on she brazes herself to face Bobbie.

Tony has made a fast job collecting them all from the crime scene but Maria and Bobbie have still had too much time to truly observe what Red Cross has done with all the people in that Restaurant, to the girl that has been kidnapped only days ago and it was perturbing to put it lightly.

Maria has been submitted to some pretty grotesque scenes when she served in the military and even though she’ll never be used to see just how far men cruelty can go the image at the Restaurant hasn’t been the first time she’s seen a mass murder but Bobbie seemed to have been in shock while they drove together to the Tower.

But Bobbie isn’t in the waiting room and a nurse informs her that Hunter’ surgery will take at least two more hours.

Natasha hasn’t woken up while she was gone and Tony is in the same place where Maria left him. Partially, Maria understands how Natasha’s condition affects Tony because it affects her the same way. They are all used to see Nat as a force to be reckon with and _she is_ most of the time but it’s because of her strength and special abilities that they often forget that she’s as human as they all are by the end of the day, and she can be hurt as well.

When he looks up and meets her gaze, Maria is able to see a vulnerability that Tony always guards behind sarcasm and his huge ego. He’s worried and for some reason he’s letting her see it.

“Has she ever been in this position before?” Maria shakes her head as she closes the door behind her.

“No, she hates Hospitals.”

“What about Budapest? I’ve heard that one kicked her ass pretty bad.” Once again Maria shakes her head, this time she smiles fondly at the memory of Barton and Nat teasing one another while a Medical Team removed bullets from their bodies and stitched them up at the same time.

“It came close but she won a bet against Barton by not losing consciousness while they were being attended back at the Helicarrier. She hurts like we do but she recovers faster.”

“Like Cap?”

“Not as fast but just as effective.” Maria pulls a chair close to the bed and takes a sit holding Natasha’s –non-operated- hand and she does this consciously, willing to show a bit of her own vulnerability in front of Tony in return.

“Those attacks with the bombs?” Tony prompts and waits until he gets a nod from Maria before he continues. “According to Colson, this Red Cross guy is behind it.”

If Coulson knows about the bombs then surely Natasha does as well and knowing the red hair as well as she does, Maria is certain that she tried to stop those attacks from happening and she sighs dejectedly. Natasha will feel guilty no matter what the outcome.   

“What is happening Hill? All I hear about is that Red Cross dude killing more people but I don’t know why Coulson and SHIELD were behind it when it’s obviously not their territory. I don’t even know why Coulson is out there and I’m not a fan of not knowing things. He’s supposed to be dead.”

Maria takes a deep breath and rests her head on top of her hand and Natasha’s on top of the white comforter. Coulson is only one of the many secrets she’s still keeping for Nick Fury.

“Red Cross is a woman. For reasons still unknown to us she has targeted SHIELD related folks as her victims and she’s holding Agent Thirteen hostage.” Maria states the facts that she’s sure of and then waits until Tony processes her words.  

“Sharon.” He breathes out and slowly backs a few steps towards a loveseat and lets himself sink in it. Maria nods at his direction, their eyes meeting briefly but enough to let each other know that they’re thinking of the same person and how this actually concerns them all.

“And Coulson?” Tony’s impenetrable mask is back in place somehow and it makes Maria uncomfortable.

“He’s alive, isn’t that what matters?” Maria shoots right back.

“Was he even dead in the first place or was it all just an act to bring us all together and save the world?”

“Coulson was dead for four days and we all mourned him.” The brunette takes a deep breath before saying another word. Tony implying that Fury would do something as vicious makes her stomach twist in disgust, especially because she was there when he threw those collectable cards covered in fake blood at Cap and Tony stormed out.

“So what? You just brought him back with a few magic tricks? Is that what SHIELD does now?”

“You’ll have to ask him for details.” She replies, aiming to end this discussion but she has no luck.

“You’re still protecting their secrets.” He huffs with a mocking laugh and Maria has to close her eyes again to concentrate on the here and now, but all that keeps coming back is how hurt Coulson has looked when he threw that same accusation at her face and how hurt Tony would look too if he let himself show.

“This isn’t the time or the place…” she begins but he stands up too quickly, his face no longer hiding his anger.

“This is exactly the time and place! I understand why you keep your secrets but this is Coulson and you should have told us that he was alive, we would have gone and safe the world anyway because that’s what we do!”

“No! You wouldn’t have! You would have parted ways ages ago and Coulson wouldn’t be the only one of us who perished under your egocentrism and petty irresponsibility!”

“But he isn’t dead! And who cares now anyway, everyone can die as long as we keep you and Fury around to bring us all right back here!”

They are face to face now, at some point during their interchange Maria has stood up from the chair to go toe to toe with Stark in the middle of the room where Natasha is still unconscious after she has gone through emergency surgery and lost more than a litter of blood.

Maria looks away from Tony’s piercing eyes, the reality of his statement settling in. “The program was shot down. The facility where it operated was destroyed days before SHIELD fell apart.”

Taking back her seat and Natasha’s hand in hers Maria wills herself to calm down. She had been against TAHITI from the beginning but it went along anyway and then she had to watch a dear friend go through the traumatizing process of being brought back to life.

“There was a chance that the project wouldn’t work. We’d tried it a couple of times before Coulson and every single one of them ended badly, but Fury could not do nothing when Phil was killed by Loky, we had to try something and we did. It was kept a secret because Phil himself didn’t know that he’d died and it needed to remain that way to give him a better chance.”

Without another word Tony heads for the door but Maria knows that he listened to her explanation as vague as she’s kept it. Desperation makes people do crazy things, she thinks.

After a few minutes she’s able to return her breathing back to normal, a confrontation with Tony Stark was not something she wished for today -it’s not something she wishes for any day- and it has left her feeling exhausted. She hates the feeling, it makes her head ache as all her senses spike up to attention because tiredness can’t never be afforded in what it’ll always be her line of work.

Suddenly the bed begins to shake but this quake doesn’t have a build up like the one before, no, this quake goes straight to the scary part, making everything around the room shake with force, the windows chatter and the air to hum heavily; but it abruptly stops after five long seconds.

If Skye can’t control herself then they’ll never let her leave the containment area where Maria learnt that she’s being held.

Why has Coulson taken Jemma in with him? Maria gets angry just thinking about how terrible of a mistake that was but she’ll get the answers right out of the source later, for now this is where she belongs, where she needs and wants to be.

It had all been a plan to get to Natasha, she’s sure of it.

“Hey,” a soft voice calls inside and Maria turns her head to see her boss entering the large room quietly. “How is she?” Pepper Potts asks as she hands Maria a cup of coffee and her stomach makes a weird noise at the smell of hot caffeine that she manages to keep concealed.

“She’s not awake yet.”

“The Doctors said the surgery went well.” The blond comments as she gets closer to the bed to place a hand to Natasha’s forehead and Maria can’t help to notice the warm affection and worrisome on Pepper’s face as she looks down at her girlfriend and combs her hair back with care.

Natasha isn’t like most people and Maria is aware that she recovers quicker than the average human being but she still worries that her girlfriend won’t wake up. And it’s stupid because the machines are telling her that Natasha is stable but she can’t shake the feeling anyway.

“She’ll be okay.” Pepper softly assures her with a warm hand on her forearm and somehow Maria doesn’t feel as if Pepper seeing her worried is something she should care about, she accepts the comfort and is glad that is coming from the blond woman.

“I know,” she nods between smiling and chocking up on the knot –now permanent- in her throat. “It’s Natasha.” She shrugs.

“It’s chaos out there.” Pepper comments when another wave of ambulances and police cars drive near where they are.

Pepper smiles as if she understands what Maria means by that and for all Maria knows Pepper probably does get it. They’ve both seen Natasha come back from missions sporting wounds far worse than a stabbed hand and a shot to the waist, and honestly Maria can’t pinpoint why she’s reacted the way that she has when she found the red hair in that restaurant other than everything has felt too cryptic, too dark and too unpredictable. She’s felt as if she has suddenly stepped inside a horror movie and in a way that’s exactly what has happened.

“The ballistics report came back,” Pepper says and passes to Maria the folder she’s been carrying all along. Maria’s eyes widen at what she finds in the file even before Pepper says the words out loud: “The bullet is from SHIELD.”

The first thing Maria realizes is that the shot was no mistake, it was planned from the beginning. Red Cross wants them to know that she’s got eyes and ears among them, this is a message meant to terrorize them.

“Coulson wants to meet with you as soon as possible.” Peppers informs her with a wince, for she knows where Maria wants to be right now. “Steve is on his way and please give Wanda a call. I don’t know her too well but I’m pretty sure I don’t want to find out what she can do when she’s upset, and she sounds very upset.”

Maria nods as shame for how inconsiderate she’s been washes over her. Wanda has been calling nonstop since she informed Steve of what is happening. She quickly makes the call and grimaces by how worried Wanda actually sounds over the phone but she tries her best to assure her that Natasha is fine and in return the younger girl informs her that she’ll be at the Tower in the next ten minutes.

“I’m going to check on Bobbie.” Pepper says motioning to other cup of coffee in her hands once Maria hangs up.

“Thank you,” Maria says meeting her boss’ gaze and in return Pepper takes her hand to give it a light squeeze before she leaves the room.

Maria sits close to Natasha’ bed again and holds her hand -the one that’s not been operated on-, and silently begs her girlfriend to wake up and pull her out of her misery, and yes, she’s aware of how selfish she sounds but it’s been a long time since she and Natasha agreed that sometimes being selfish is okay, it’s human and they’re allowed to be human when the lives of civilians are not at risk but only theirs.  

With her head resting on top of her hands on the mattress Maria wills herself to close her eyes and clear her thoughts, and she manages but not for long.

The quake begins soft at first -just like the three others before this one- but this time as the bed shakes and the windows tremble the machines hooked on Natasha start to beep faster and louder. Maria stands to read Natasha’ heartbeat increasing but she also notices that the quake hasn’t stopped yet and it’s only getting more aggressive.  

And then it abruptly stops. It worries Maria that Skye isn’t dealing with what’s happening but only lashing out whether she means to or not.

With a light squeeze to her hand Maria breathes out a little nervous laugh because Natasha’ green eyes are open now and staring at her in mild confusion.

“Hey, stranger.” Maria smiles as she combs back Natasha’ hair and presses her lips softly to her forehead.

“Hey, you.” Nat hoarse out and the brunette is quick to fetch her some water to drink from a straw.

“Do you remember what happened?” Maria asks softly but Natasha nods, offering no verbal answer as her eyes turn cold and her expression unreadable, no doubt picturing everything she lived through. “You were in surgery for about three hours. The shot on your side was clean and Dr. Cho is on her way to check on your hand.”

Natasha inspects her hand with curiosity and if she feels no pain at moving her trembling fingers Maria isn’t able to tell.

“I called Steve. He was in Detroit and Sam is coming with him.” This time Natasha looks pointedly away from Maria, leaving her hands limp on the sides of the bed. “None of this is your fault, Tasha.”

Natasha doesn’t give any indication that she listened to Maria and as disheartening as it is to have her girlfriend trying to ignore her, Maria knows Natasha well enough to note that she’s not doing it consciously, she’s only lost in her head, trying to tie lose ends.

“Wanda has been calling nonstop, I guess Steve told her a bit of what happened. She’s on her way as well.”

Natasha squeezes her hand lightly at hearing Wanda’ name but doesn’t look at her directly. Whatever happened in that Restaurant, whatever Natasha found out already scares Maria. She doesn’t push for information though knowing full well that when Natasha is ready to talk, she will.

_Natasha_ tries to fist her hand again, noting how difficult of a task it proves to be and the way her thumb and middle finger take a second too long to bent at her will. The pain she feels is numb though, as if this were an old wound and a crazy person didn’t stabbed her just hours ago.

“Those hostages,” Maria carefully says and sees how tense Natasha grows at their mention but she needs to put everything on the table. “Four places were attacked, there were no survivors.”

She swallows as her mind reels back to Red Cross and her euphoric laughter. There has been nothing she could do against that woman, although she did stabbed her in the neck but Natasha is sure than Red Cross let her do that, perhaps to show her exactly what she’s dealing with.

Maria subtly squeezes her hand but Natasha doesn’t look away from the window and the sight of a clear sky on the distance. How is she going to face everyone and tell them how she failed? That it’s because of her inadequacy that now hundreds are dead. Failure has never been an option, she wasn’t made to fail and she never did, not until today.

“Coulson and May are alright,” Maria continues to inform her but Natasha already knew that, she’s seen them breathing peacefully back at the Restaurant. “Mack is stable, he’ll wake up soon enough.”

The room begins to shake and Maria takes a deep breath, like she always does when she’s no longer surprised by an action but mostly leaning towards giving up.

“Skye…” Natasha squeezes back Maria’s hand to stop her because she knows how Skye must be feeling and her pain also falls on her shoulders. Jemma hurts just as bad as Sharon does, she realizes. “They keep sedating her but it’s to no use.”

There is too much going on and too little for Natasha to do. She can’t fight Red Cross, she can’t win and it’s unsettling to say the least. She has fought a war against a God and machines, and come out victorious! But how is it that she can’t fight this _woman_ and not end in a Medical bay?

“There was an explosion,” Maria continues, effectively gaining Natasha’s attention. “Seven cars and three busses stopped in front of the Restaurant, they were escaping and we had to move.”

Natasha feels anger rising up from within at hearing this but her face remains expressionless. She cannot even phantom the idea of Maria anywhere near that… _that monster!_

“The last car exploded when we were close,” Natasha instantly studies Maria’s face and understanding why there is a band aid on her forehead. “I’m fine.” The brunette says. “Bobbie and I weren’t close enough to get burnt but Hunter and Skye...”

“Skye?”

“Minor burns on her hands but Hunter is still in surgery.”

So practically, almost everyone has been hurt in this mission and Natasha can’t help to think about how many more will be hurt until they stop Red Cross.

“Fitz and Lincoln?”

“They are fine, shaken but fine. None of this is your fault.” Maria says on cue and without giving her a chance to go down that road, always a step ahead, always able to get inside of her head.   

“She wanted me.”

Natasha observes for a moment Maria tiding up lose threads before her blue eyes widen slightly, enough to show fear and comprehension.

“I was thinking about it but why would she…? Nat?”

“She wants me to erase SHIELD from existence.”

Maria’s phone rings and the usual soft and soothing tone echoes in the sudden silent room and Natasha has to give her a little push to grab the device.

“Yes, I’ll be right outside.” The ex-Deputy Director murmurs distractedly before she puts the phone away, her eyes never straying from her girlfriend.

“Who was that?” Natasha asks and raises a hand before Maria can unleash the ton of question she sure has for her. “Not here.”

Maria’ curiosity is once spiked up at this but she nods her head accepting to wait, knowing well that if Natasha can’t tell her more right now is because she has a good reason not to.

“Wanda just got here.”

“Let her in.”

It’s been a few months since Sokovia and while Steve has been out there looking for Barnes with Sam, Natasha has pretty much been left in charge of the New Avengers and Wanda has become especially attached to her in this length of time.

Natasha can’t really explained when it happened or how she allowed Wanda so close to her but between long hours of training the young girl in hand to hand combat and living in the same place as her, Nat has found herself talking to the girl instead of staring cautiously in silence. But whenever happened and however it did now she no longer holds any grudges against Wanda –although Natasha can never forget of what she’s capable of- and she’d be kidding if she said that she hasn’t grown fond of having young blood around her.

When Maria reenters the room, a nervous Wanda is close behind her and Natasha sees the moment the young woman doubts herself before she practically runs to the side of the bed and with scared and  wet eyes she inspects her mentor’ bruised and patched form.

“So _it is_ possible to land a punch on you.” Wanda says with a thick accent and a broken voice, but it pulls out a chuckle from Natasha anyway.

“I never said it wasn’t.” She says as the red hair kneels on the floor and rests her forehead on Natasha’ leg to hide her face, but not fast enough to hide the tears that have begun to roll down her pale cheeks. 

Natasha is –at first- surprised to see this reaction from her rookie but Maria is looking down at the floor when she looks up for help and she has no other option but to place an unsure hand on Wanda’ hair to sooth her a little.

After Pietro passed Wanda hasn’t been in a good place, her brother was the only person she had ever trusted and when he was gone she was left in the hands of the man that they grew up despising and while Stark didn’t show up much they all knew where the money came from. After Steve hesitated to train her Natasha has been one of the only people –if not the only one- willing to do it and she can see why Wanda has grown so attached to her, and she can’t imagine what it would have been like if she didn’t make it out of that Restaurant alive.

“Don’t go thinking you have a chance now.” Natasha speaks up, trying to sound light because she really doesn’t want to talk feelings, it’s one of the only things she hasn’t been able to shake yet.

“Rich words coming from the ill.” This particular jab makes Maria actually laugh out loud and Natasha to huff in mock hurt.

“Can you believe this one?” She asks her girlfriend who is still laughing while passing a smiling Wanda a tissue to clean her tear stained cheeks.

“You’re a bad influence on her.” Maria shrugs.

“Are you kidding?”

Natasha is smiling when she takes Wanda’s hand, remembering how quiet and insecure she was just a few months back and how now she’s cracking jokes as if she’s always belonged with them but only recently found her way home.

“I’m fine.” Natasha assures looking into pained but relieved green eyes. Wanda nods but doesn’t let go of her hand as she sits on the edge of her bed and Maria reclaims the chair right in front of her.

“So.” Wanda prompts looking at both women.

“Not here.” Natasha repeats and is not surprised when Wanda nods even though her eyes tell Natasha just how worried she’s growing. She doesn’t push.

…

This is the most alive the Medical Bay has ever been in the Avengers’ Tower and it doesn’t paint a nice picture at all. Somewhere along the way they have forgotten just how human superheroes really are, everyone bleeds and all of them hurt and it can be felt in the way the building starts to shake once again just how bad they really hurt.

“Skye, listen to me.” May begs through the intercom outside of Skye’ containment room. “Skye, focus.” The girl is slowly waking up, probably unaware of the earthquake she’s causing.

“Skye.” Coulson injects but his voice only causes the machines to wildly beep.

“Skye, you can do this.” May claims but when the shaking gets considerably harder she nods at the Doctor to her side, he immediately presses a bottom and Skye is put to sleep almost instantly, and the quake stops.

“This can’t continue.” Melinda turns around, unable to keep staring at the younger Agent struggling and caged.

“Then suggest something because I can’t think of anything else to do!” The Director yells, he also turns around and breathes in deeply. “We need to talk to Natasha soon.”

“Hill won’t let you interrogate her right now”

“I care little about what Maria Hill thinks right now.”

He walks out in a haste leaving Melinda to catch up with him, which she quickly does because someone needs to stand up between him and the Black Widow’ overprotective girlfriend.

She keeps quiet while they make their way down the hallway to Natasha’s room but that doesn’t mean she has nothing to say, Melinda simply knows it’s best to listen before blurting out. However she also knows it’s best to knock instead of make your way inside a room with two deadly spies in it, Coulson has obviously forgotten this basic lesson today.

Coulson pushes the door open and is about to stride inside when a red cloud of sorts sends him flying backwards against the opposite wall.

“What they hell was that?” Ok, maybe May can blurt out as well when in distress.

“You okay?” Hill asks worriedly as Coulson stands up with his hands holding the back of his head and checking for blood, which thankfully isn’t anywhere in sight.

“I have to back up May on this one and say, what the hell was that?!”

Melinda sees a girl standing by Natasha’ bed and is tempted to roll her eyes at how protective the young woman’ stance is because they aren’t enemies.

“You know, knocking is good. And this is Wanda Maximoff.” Natasha speaks and May swears she can hear the smirk on her voice. She helps Coulson inside the room as Maria closes the door before offering him a glass of water.

Wanda is confused and more than a little embarrassed when she returns to Natasha’ side. “I thought…”

“Yeah, don’t worry about them.” The Russian easily tells her and it calms Wanda considerably, although she still doesn’t know the people that recently arrived, however she observes and listens carefully.

“What do you mean don’t worry, I almost crack my skull open back there!”

“Don’t whine, Coulson. It doesn’t look good on you.” Maria chimes in as she crosses her arms and levels him with a stare he always associated with rank, and she used to rank pretty high up before but the glare has the same effect as ever.

“We need to talk.” He goes straight to the point and nodding at the younger girl’ direction.

“And we will,” Maria agrees. “But not here and not while Nat isn’t allowed to leave this bed yet.”

“Hey!” Natasha protests, making the brunette roll her eyes. “This doesn’t even hurt anymore.” She says poking at her patched up side and grinning at a less than impressed Melinda May.

“She heals fast.” Coulson states, remembering the old days when he was Natasha’s handler.

“Not that fast.” Melinda objects.

“But fast enough,” Natasha interrupts them and grins deviously at May’ direction. “But Maria is right, we’ll talk later.”

“This can’t wait, we need to plan now! I have an Agent who needs to be sedated every thirty minutes in order to keep this building standing!”

Wanda looks quickly from Coulson to Natasha hoping that an explanation will fall from her mentor’ lips but she has no luck. Instead, she finds in Natasha the same look that she’s come to fear from the shorter woman so far. This is the look Steve calls ‘the keep moving look’ and they’ve all come to learn to leave Natasha alone when she’s sporting it.

“Not here.” Natasha articulates the two words with forced and obviously fake calmness that even May swallows and averts her eyes to Coulson who is deliberately and openly glaring at Romanoff.

“Then where?” She asks, trying to take Natasha’ attention away from her boss because she’s not delusional enough to think that the Black Widow wouldn’t jump from that bed if her cup has reached its peak.

“Maria will let you know.” Natasha speaks a bit calmer now that Coulson has finally turned around in order to rub his face with his hands and they all take a moment to see him and accept that he’s never looked as out of himself as he does now. “Can I have a moment alone with Wanda?”

Coulson is ready to stay and push but he knows Natasha well, hell, he knows her for far longer than any other person in this room and that’s why he’s sure that what she knows is what’s keeping her quiet right now. After the report from ballistics came back he thought about a rat in his team and it seems as if Natasha has reached the same conclusion, that’s why the _not here_ solution. He needs to trust her.

“Should I apologize?” Wanda asks as soon as everyone has left the room but Natasha smirks shaking her head.

“No, you shouldn’t.” The girl bobs her head in acceptance but Natasha grows uneasy because what she’s about to ask is dangerous and it doesn’t bring up the best memories in her mind. “There is a girl, Skye, who might need our help.”

“Is this the same girl Coulson was speaking of?”

“Yes, she gained some powers a few months back and so far she’s been controlling them well but something happened in this mission, someone she cares deeply about was taken away and she’s not having the best reaction”

“The earthquake we felt before?”

“It was Skye.” Natasha confirms and she’s not surprised to see Wanda step back and walking to stand by the large window, her long red hair seems to glow a deeper shade with the sun cascading around her and it somehow makes her look younger.

“What do you want me to do?” She asks with her back turned to Natasha, who closes her eyes in hate for what she’s asking because she knows how difficult and painful it is for Wanda to get inside anyone’ head, because Wanda has trusted her in telling her that she doesn’t have a complete understanding of the things she can do herself and how scary it is to see another person’ fears vividly swim in her head.

“Nothing that you aren’t willing to do.” She carefully says after choosing her words.

“If I get inside her head and trigger something, anything, instead of calming her down…” She turns around and slowly makes her way back to the bed and for a second Natasha has the strange sensation of protectiveness, of being a big sister, and it scares her because she’s come to see Wanda as family and it compromises her.

“Then we all go down with her.”

Wanda takes a moment considering her options but eventually she nods her head after making up her mind. “I can try.”

“Good.”

_Maria_ is hesitant to hear this plan but Natasha can’t hold it against her, not after all the stories she’s told her girlfriend about accidents with Wanda’ abilities while training, but after explaining a little farther Coulson is willing to try anything at this point that will help Skye gain her focus back, he can’t stand seeing her locked up and unstable anymore.

“Are you sure about this?” Maria steps ahead, pointedly looking at Natasha.

“I think I can do it.” Wanda answer for her but Maria still doesn’t look convinced.

They try to put Natasha in a wheelchair but she refuses adamantly, she wasn’t kidding when she said she wasn’t hurting anymore, a gunshot never really stopped her before, and it’s her hand that continues to worry her.

Bobbie is standing outside of Skye’ containment room when they get there and offers a single shake of her head indicating that there are no news to tell on Hunter yet.

“New Agent?” She asks motioning towards Wanda, Coulson shakes his head.

“New Avenger. Wanda Maximoff this is Barbra Morse, Agent of SHIELD.”

“Nice to meet you, Agent Morse.” Wanda acknowledges her, stretching out her hand for the Agent to shake. 

“Likewise, and its Bobbie.” The taller woman accentuates with a firm but friendly hold on Wanda’s hand.

“Bobbie.” Wanda speaks, tasting the name and she allows herself to smile a little before she takes her hand back and a Doctor opens the steel door for her to pass through.

The thick door closes with a sucking noise and Wanda looks over at the glass where she can still see everyone gathered outside, that’s how she sees Tony Stark make his way towards Natasha and squeeze her shoulder with a tight smile on his lips. It’s still hard to accept that the man she’s grown believing destroyed her life has become one of her saviors.

Natasha nods at her when their eyes meet and Wanda turns to get closer to the bed taking long but light steps. The woman lying on the bed and attached to three different machines can’t be older than she is and while sleeping Wanda would never guess that within her lies the power to bring this building down and who knows what else, Skye looks _human._

Wanda looks over her shoulder again to find Stark’ frown directed at her but she doesn’t look away from his eyes. Stark is only human too and his biggest fear hasn’t been death or losing someone he loves, no, his biggest fear has been not being capable of protecting the world. That should have told her something the first time she saw him but it didn’t, she was blinded by hate and her thirst for revenge that she didn’t see what he could be.

She closes her eyes and walks even closer to the bed now, and very slowly reaches out to touch Skye, bracing herself for whatever she’ll see.

At first Wanda isn’t sure of what to make of the pictures but then the images begin to clear up and she sees a girl, shorter, brown hair, with tearful eyes as she calls out for Skye. Then she hears a woman screaming and a moment later she sees Skye running down an alley and finding a door to an abandon building open, she runs inside without a care even though it’s obviously a dangerous place to be. Skye is dreaming. There are screams, terrible, heart wrenching screams and Wanda sees the moment Skye finds what she’s looking for and she’s screaming again, her voice going raw by how loudly she’s shouting, so Wanda looks up and sees the first girl attached to a wooden cross hanging from the ceiling and she’s covered in blood, from head to toe.

Wanda’ breath gets stuck on her throat as Skye runs towards the hanging cross only to have drops of blood falling on her face and stretched out arms. Skye’ pain is so massive that Wanda herself starts to feel as if her heart is being ripped out of her chest. The woman is no longer screaming, she’s dead and as Wanda looks around she sees dozens of similar crosses hanging from the ceiling, each one of them with a different woman on it.

It’s a dream, she tells herself, its Skye’ dream but she lets go anyway and backs away from Skye rapidly, tripping backwards she falls down. She’s crying, heaving and the room is shaking but not subtly like it did before, the room is shaking and the ceiling is beginning to crack upon her.

Wanda knows what she has to do and she pushes herself off the floor to close the distance between herself and Skye. She shows her Coulson and Natasha talking, she shows her the faces of everyone outside waiting for her, trusting her, she lets her know that Steve is on his way and he’s bringing help, she tells her to come back and work with them, she repeats this a couple of times until she no longer sees rivers of blood in Skye’s head.

When Wanda opens her eyes she finds Skye staring at her with raged breaths and teary eyes. “You were in my dream.” She says with a raw voice, as if those screams hadn’t happened in her head but in real life. The room is still shaking but not as hard a moment ago.

“I’m sorry.” Wanda apologizes, knowing well how invasive it is to get inside a person’ head like this.

“No,” Skye tells her. “Thank you for pulling me out of there.” Wanda nods unsure as she hears the door opening behind them. “Now let’s get my girl back.”

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if you want to keep reading this, I'm starting to feel like I'm writing only for myself, hehe. Let me know.


	6. Broken

…

RED CROSS

It’s early in the morning when Jemma is startled awake by a chattering rolling sound and she opens her eyes to find that she’s being moved in a metal gurney that reminds her of madhouses and serial killers, which immediately increases her growing fear. For a moment she’ confused but then the memories begin to slowly return to her mind: The Restaurant, Coulson and May being put to sleep, Mack being shot, Agent Romanoff being stabbed and then shot when she tried to help that poor couple and... being taken away right after.

She should have ridden the van with Skye in it.

Jemma tries to move her hands but she’s restrained by chains on the sides that are also attached to her ankles, she pulls on them but they don’t give and she’s terrified to imagine where this man could be taking her and what for. The man pushing the gurney is wearing a mask made of black leather, with holes for his eyes, nose and mouth, and a dirty white apron, he’s not wearing a shirt. She looks down noticing that her clothes are gone and she’s only wearing her underwear, the lights are flickering on the ceiling and she’s pretty sure a panic attack is building up within her.

“Hey, sir?” The man doesn’t make a move to indicate he’s listened to her and she swallows down a cry because it’s clear that wherever she is, no one will try to help her.

They turn a corner suddenly and Jemma is able to see inside a room but she immediately wishes she hasn’t. The room’ walls are splattered with red –she’s certain it’s blood-, and utensils are scattered all over the floor, torture utensils that will probably be used on her too.

She looks behind once more, the man isn’t even looking at her, he’s just pushing the gurney down the hallway and she can’t help it when tears start to slide down the sides of her face, she’s shaking and about to hyperventilate. How is she going to survive this?

…

Sharon sits still on top of the examination table where she’s woken up a few minutes ago, her eyes trained on Red Cross who stands to her right, and doing little to collaborate with the Doctor that is examining her.

“Well, you do not have a concussion,” the Doctor speaks as he presses his fingers on the back of her head. “But you did hit your head pretty hard.”

It’s unreal, everything that’s happening right now feels unreal and Sharon has the sensation of being dreaming. A part of her wants to believe that maybe she did hit her head harder than she actually did and she’s unconscious somewhere imagining all of this, but as faith may have it, she’s not.

“She’s fine then!” Red Cross announces happily, clapping her hands in utter joy.

“Not quite. I recommend she takes a few days off just to be safe.” The Doctor insists and because Sharon hasn’t been able to take her eyes off of Red Cross, she sees the anger flashing through her eyes and covering her face like a dark curtain meant to keep the light out in the blink of an eye.

“But you said she’s fine, I have plans for us!”

“Oh she is, she is!” The Doctor rapidly confirms, terrified all of the sudden. “Just try to take it slow, that’s all.”

Red Cross is smiling again, pleased to hear those words and Sharon finally glances at the man in front of her. He’s sweating, his forehead is shining, hands trembling, lips tightly pressed as he tries to hold himself together although he isn’t doing a very good job. She looks back at Red Cross, wondering why this man would be this afraid of her and coming up with an endless list of possibilities. Maybe he knows who her true identity, maybe they have some business together, or maybe she’s threatened him.

“You see, love?” Red Cross comes to stand in front of her and softly places her hands on Sharon’s knees, her fingertips putting on a bit of pressure there to make sure she’s being listened. “We can have all the fun we want and I have so many plans for us today! First, we’ll go back home, I need your help choosing toys.”

Sharon’s stomach twists and she wants to punch that sadistic smile off of Red Cross’ face but the woman would probably enjoy it, so she decides against it and lets RC blindfold her and guide her back to the car, and as the woman sits as close as she can to Sharon, the Agent doesn’t say anything, doesn’t flinch away or even show her disgust anymore. Sharon simply turns her face the other way and hopes that her friends are regrouping somewhere.

…

Sharon swallows the need to throw up the moment Red Cross takes her hand and intertwines their fingers together as they walk away from the car but she doesn’t take her hand away, what would be the point anyway?

“It’s nice to have someone to share this with.” Red Cross speaks so close to her face that Sharon can smell fresh mints on her breath before the blindfold is lifted off of her eyes and she’s momentarily blinded by all the light.

Somewhere deep inside of her Sharon knows that she should be trying to get out, the negotiation was a failure after all and the next time Natasha comes anywhere near Red Cross is to put a bullet in her head; but she can’t even move, she doesn’t have the strength to protest or even speak anymore.

Red Cross intertwines their fingers together again as she pulls her down a white and elegant corridor adorned with art hanging on the walls and classic furniture to complement the decor. They’re in a mansion that reminds Sharon of a mission where she spent months living in The Hamptons but she wouldn’t really know where they are because even though the house is lit and the sunrays are visible through the skylight there is not really a single window for her to look outside. They go up three sets of stairs in silence that doesn’t sit well at all.

“Today is going to be a long day, love.” The woman pulling her speaks enthusiastically. “So much is going on and I have some much more left to do, and you’ll be with me every step of the way. That’s the best part.”

Is this what it feels like to give up? Not caring about the future is a part of giving up? If it is then that’s exactly what Sharon is experiencing right now.

“Here we are!” Red Cross says, all teeth and wide eyes as she lets go of Sharon’ hand in order to grab both handles of the double doors they’re standing in front of.

Inside the room there are three chairs facing the wall, three different girls tied up to those chairs. Red Cross pulls Sharon inside the room and closes the door behind her before she’s pushing Sharon towards the left part of the room where there is a large table filled with documents and newspapers from different dates and years. As Red Cross wraps her arms around Sharon from behind the Agent focuses on picking up on a few events from the papers instead of the warm body pressing tightly against her back. She reads about a car crash killing married couple, suspects gone, and police dropping case, files missing.

“I’ve had them for over a week now,” Red Cross tells her, indicating towards the chairs and stepping back. “And you know why no one is looking for them?”

Sharon shakes her head, no longer feeling brave enough to fight back. Yes, there are three hostages in this room but she won’t be able to safe them, just like she hasn’t been able to safe anyone so far. Not the people in the restaurant, not the people on that cinema, on that wedding, on that train, herself.

“Because they’re mine and their families know it, they own me.” The way Red Cross says this tells Sharon there is a story behind it and she keeps leaning towards business going south but at this point RC might not even have a real reason to do what she’s doing and Sharon wouldn’t know it.  

“I want you to sit right here,” Red Cross pushes a chair towards her but when Sharon doesn’t move she takes it upon herself to push the Agent and sit her down and Sharon discovers that _there is_ fight left inside of her yet when she resists to be manhandled.

“Do you think I’m crazy?” Red Cross asks leaning down so her face is inches apart from Sharon’s, without blinking and holding her breath.

“Do you not?”

“No!” Red Cross yells, her voice echoing in the walls and scaring every single woman in the room, making them jump in their sits. “I’m not crazy, no, no, no. I’m not.”

Sharon is left to take that in as Red Cross walks over to the first woman and pulls her chair roughly across the floor so its occupant is facing Sharon when she stops.

“This is Rachel, say hi Rachel!” Red Cross laughs out loud as Rachel sobs into her gag. Sharon looks down at her knees, she’s shaking and on the edge of tears herself, she can’t see things like this anymore, she doesn’t want to. “Look at me, love.” Red Cross asks with an edge to her voice. “LOOK AT ME!”

Sharon looks up and all her fear suddenly turns into anger for this woman forcing her to act on instinct. She gets up and grabs the chair she was sitting on and breaks it on Red Cross’ head and shoulder but the woman soon has both of her wrists in a dead grip above her head and Sharon’s looking right into amused dark blue eyes, all that Sharon has managed to do is give her a small cut on the forehead where the chair hit her.

“Now where will you sit and listen to my story, love?”

Sharon spits on her face then, angered and feeling more than humiliated but Red Cross only laughs loudly so and with such happiness that Sharon shivers involuntarily. She has nothing against this person, nothing.

“There she is!” Red Cross continues to laugh as she unties Rachel with one hand, only to drop her unceremoniously out of the chair while not letting go of Sharon’ hands at any moment. “Here, love.” She pushes Sharon hard to sit on the chair and immediately ties her up, not lose enough for her to escape but not tight enough to hurt her either.

“Rachel and I grew up together, we used to pretend we were sisters all the time, and you can see that we look alike, right love?” Red Cross picks up where she left off, as if Sharon has never hit her with that chair and Rachel wasn’t being pulled up by a firm hold on her hair. Rachel looks nothing like Red Cross but Sharon keeps it to herself. “When my parents died, Rachel’ dad got my custody and then we really became sisters, didn’t we!? Sharing all my money, spending it all, watching it all burn.”

Rachel cries out in pain as Red Cross pulls out a knife from her belt and caresses her face with the sharp end. “But businesses are more important than family, always have been, right sis?”

“Please, I was a kid, I didn’t know. I didn’t know. Please – mmph.”

Red Cross’ hand is quickly pressed against Rachel’ mouth and her eyes focused on Sharon. They both know a name almost slips out. Sharon sees the deviously smile on Red Cross’ lips as she picks up on Rachel’ almost slip and slowly slides the knife towards Rachel’s lips, parting them softly before taking her tongue with two fingers and cutting it right out of her mouth with a swift movement of her wrist.

“She was speaking too much.” Red Cross shrugs before throwing the tongue to the floor carelessly and leaving Rachel to wallow on the floor in pain.

“You are a monster!” Sharon spits out and this time Red Cross doesn’t laugh, although she seems thoughtful.

“I was made that way, yeah.” Red Cross agrees, her fingers spreading Rachel’ blood on her hands absentmindedly. “But I was only a girl once, just like you. I didn’t choose what came after, I didn’t choose to be what I am today. But that didn’t stop them. I was just a girl.”

Revenge, that’s what Red Cross is after and Sharon can clearly see it now, she’s been hurt. Only she still isn’t sure of what happened to her, all these words are proving to be too vague.

“How much blood does a tongue have?” Red Cross is suddenly asking, her voice chirpy as usual as she sits on the floor and pulls Rachel to sit between her legs and pressed against her chest. Sharon is shaking again but out of anger and disappointment in herself as an Agent, the fear is also there but it’s stopped feeling the way it did just twenty four hours ago when she first met this woman.

“Just let her go.” She breathes out, she doesn’t know how much of this she can actually take without tossing aside who she really is and that’s scarier than anything else.

“Do you know how long I was gone?” Her blue eyes are trained on Sharon as she pulls Rachel’s hair back to be able to speak right next to her ear. “Years. They had me for years but I just refused to be killed, although they kept trying. Over and over again. What are a couple of weeks for her, right Rachel?”

Rachel is mumbling something, trying to speak but no words can be made out as blood keeps pouring out of her mouth and her moans of pain are very much still present.

“To become someone unbreakable, first you have to be broken. I’m not doing this for the heck of it, love. I have my reasons, but enough about me!”

Red Cross is standing again, Rachel held tightly in her arms and a smile as big as ever adorning her bright crimson lips and it’s disconcerting to see her blond curls not being affected at all by her activities this way. It’s almost inhuman.

“We’ll play a game! And if you win, I’ll let you go.” She tells Rachel with a mischievous look and a giggle. “If you can open those doors, you’re free to leave. I’ll never look for you again and you never have to look for me either.”

Rachel looks at the door hopefully but Sharon knows there’ a trick, there’s got to be and just as Rachel prepares herself to launch towards the exit Red Cross takes her hands and with little effort cuts off both of her thumbs with her ever present butcher knife, and with a loud laugh she helps by pushing a screaming Rachel towards the double doors.

“Go on, open them. Come on! You can do it!” Her booming laughter echoes around and it possesses Sharon from within and she realizes that she’ll never get the sound out of her head.

“What’s the matter, Rachel?” Red Cross sighs mockingly before she grabs her childhood friend and pulls her back to stand in front of Sharon again, ignoring her cries and how bad she’s bleeding. “Couldn’t grab the handle without your pretty thumbs? Oh look!”

Red Cross is pointing at the floor where Rachel’s thumbs are lying and with a laugh she crushes them with her boot, the cracking sound of bones braking making Sharon want to hurl again and Rachel to pass out in Red Cross’ arms.

“Great. She’s dead.” The blond sarcastically says before dropping Rachel’s body to the ground unceremoniously. “So?” She goes back to Sharon and with a smile on her lips she pulls out a gun from the back of her pants. “You still have to help me pick.”

Sharon’s stomach drops as she sees Red Cross stepping closer to the two crying girls still conscious in the room.

“No, no. Please, don’t. Please.” She begs as Red Cross points the gun to the girl on the right for a second before pointing it at the girl on the left.

“Who is it going to be, love? Right or left?” She’s bouncing the gun from side to side as Sharon gives up and lets the tears fall. Is this really happening? This can’t be real.

“No, please.” She cries and the sobs shake her entire body, not only her shoulders. She’s cracking and she can feel herself slipping away.

“Look at me,” Red Cross says and as Sharon looks up the woman lowers the gun to the floor and kneels between the Agent’s legs, her hands gripping her thighs just hard enough. “Choose.”

“No, I won’t. I can’t. Please don’t make me.” Sharon shakes her head making Red Cross sigh in exasperation.

“Choose.”

“Please, please don’t make me do this.”

“Choose.”

“No, please.”

Red Cross’ hands come so close to touch her face that Sharon can see how much she’s truly restraining herself but then she feels the cold sensation of the gun pressed roughly to her cheek and she cries harder. She doesn’t want to die, not yet and not like this.  

“They’re both going to die, love. The one that stays behind will just play a little longer with me than the one you help me kill right now. Let’s say you’re doing her a favor, yeah?”

All of her strength, physical and spiritual suddenly disappear and Sharon cries harder than before, so hard and devastatingly that Red Cross proceeds to shush her softly with a hand on her scalp while still holding the gun to her cheek with the other.

“My reasons are good, Sharon. I promise they’re good.” Red Cross is saying, trying to calm her but pushing her towards her furthest limits at the same time. “You think I wanted to stay alive? After the first week in their hands I was begging them to kill me. They didn’t. They kept showing up every morning and every morning I kept waking up.”

“Please.” Sharon pleads one more time, her eyes red and tears still rolling down her face, pain evident in her voice.

“Choose.” Red Cross repeats softly, her eyes trained on Sharon’ in a way the Agent can’t ignore and she gives in by dropping her forehead on Red Cross’ shoulder. “Left it is!” The woman announces with a sadistic laugh as she raises her arm and Sharon buries her face deep on her neck as the gun in fired.

…

“She chose left.” One of the guards standing outside of the room says, even though they’ve both been listening to everything’s that’s happening inside.

“The Hospital it is then.”

…

AVENGERS’ TOWER

As promised Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson have arrived at the crack of dawn and thankfully Tony hasn’t put up a fight when Natasha asked JARVIS to make sure that they were alone and that the Conference Room they were currently sitting on was completely secure before she told them what happened inside that Restaurant, including how incapable she felt while engaging Red Cross.

For a minute the silence is so vast that Natasha finds it almost unbearable but -as expected- when Tony opens his mouth everyone follows suit. No one can really understand anything when all of them are rising their voices but she gets their confusion and the need to want to know more because she feels the same way. She wants to know everything.   

“That’s enough!” Coulson finally yells and while the room shakes lightly they are all forced to keep quiet and calm while Skye regains control.

_Steve_ stares at the young Agent as she concentrates and breathing deeply he develops a new kind of respect for her, controlling those impulses mustn’t be easy but she manages with admirable strength. After a moment he rests his elbows on the table so he is able to rub at his eyes and try to swallow the bitter taste in his mouth without having to check for prying eyes and he’s thankful for that.

They have faced many horrors as a team, horrors that he never thought would be possible but they have prevailed and they have lived to safe another day, and yet, he’s never felt this way before.

When he discovered Bucky to be the Winter Solider he felt great sadness and then guilt, and he knew immediately what he’ll do to bring him back, to make him remember. Back then he had a mission and at the end of that mission was Bucky but now, after what Natasha has told them he isn’t sure how he’ll be able to safe Sharon or if he’s even capable. This person has already proved that besting the Avengers is absolutely possible.

Coulson sits right across from him on the other side of the round table and that’s something else entirely, at least he hasn’t been the only one in shock to see him alive and Stark has rolled his eyes when Steve turned to him for answer but the fact remains, Hill and Fury are still keeping secrets from them.

“You stabbed her with a fork?” Tony asks disbelievingly and more than a bit stunned.

“She bleeds but not enough to die.” Natasha replies dryly.

“You saw her?” Steve asks softly then, staring right at Nat and enforcing the wounded look in her eyes. She nods. “Was she - ? Was she okay?”

He hates to be asking this in front of everyone else but he needs to know, for no other reason than to assure himself. “Physically, yes.” The way she says it makes Steve grow incredibly wary and just as his brow furrow involuntarily, Natasha looks away. There is something she isn’t telling him and for some reason she’s letting him see it.

“I noticed something else,” she still isn’t looking at him and Steve feels himself tense but he waits for her to continue. “Sharon took one of the guard’ gun but she couldn’t shot it before - ,” this time Natasha looks up and stares at him solely but Steve can’t help it when his fist connects with the wooden table and it cracks considerably. The idea of Sharon being in the hands of someone as vicious as Red Cross has turned out to be is breaking him.

“You said she was fine.” Bobbie prompts without missing a beat.

“Another guard hit her in the head and Red Cross reacted pretty strongly. This woman has developed some kind of attachment towards Sharon and she wasn’t hiding it.”

This information leads to a new silence, one that Steve can’t take and he stands up in a rush, taking off his brown leather jacket and leaving it on the chair before he makes his way to stand by the window. He doesn’t want to fear, he doesn’t want to act any other way than trusting because he knows how capable Sharon is but the way Natasha has described Red Cross makes him fear too deep.

“What’s the plan?” Skye asks a little too eagerly as the Captain moves away from the table. “Because I know this sucks and we’re all scared but Jemma is gone and I’m not going to sit and discuss this _monster_ to massive extends when we can be _doing_ something!”

“We need to understand what we’re dealing with first,” Maria intervenes, her hand tightly grasping Natasha’ underneath the table. “We can’t make the same mistake again.”

“What’s left there to understand?!” Skye demands to know and promptly looking around the table at everyone. “Red Cross is a killer, apparently superhuman, cannot die easily and she has two of our own in her hands! We have powers among ourselves too. Let’s do something!”

“Skye.” May warns softly, sympathetically.

“No!” Skye stands too fast and before the buzzing inside of her body comes pouring out she steps back and goes to stand beside Rogers by the window. She hasn’t felt this way since she first got her powers months ago and this is Jemma, Jemma is gone and Skye can’t focus on anything but getting her back. Whatever the cost. “We need to do something.” She sobs back and forces herself to not cry but everyone hears her voice crack anyway.

“We will.” Steve tells her and as he turns around, determined and put together Skye follows him and sees the Captain finally step up. “You said you have footage of Red Cross.” Fitz is quick to nod and unlock his tablet to show them all a picture from the cameras of the Restaurant before they were all disconnected.

“Stark, can you look for her? I saw SHIELD looking for Loky in the Helicarrier before based on a photo?”

“No problem,” Stark takes Fitz’ table. “JARVIS?”

“Looking for facial match in New York City, sir.” The AI system announces.

“We need to prepare for a rescue mission.” Steve announces as he folds up his shirt to the elbows. “We’ll divide in three teams. Bait, engage and retrieve. As soon as we get a location we’re off. Questions?”

“Just one,” Tony speaks up and then he rolls his eyes good naturally. “It’s not a question more than a reminder. I don’t know if you heard but Romanoff mentioned the possibility of a mole inside SHIELD?”

“Sir?” JARVIS suddenly interrupts and for being a program it sure manages to sound worried.

“Did you find her?” Coulson prompts.

“Not yet, Sir. But something has happened at the New York Hospital.”

“What was it?” Maria quickly stands to turn on the TV.

“It has exploded. The media is guessing a terrorist attack.”

The television comes to life with the image of the New York Hospital burning in angry flames but one image in particular captures their collective attention as the camera zooms in a cross burning solely in the entirety of the Hospital’ parking lot. The worst part of all is that they can’t help anyone now, the entire building has collapsed and anyone who was inside has surely passed by now.

“This isn’t a terrorist attack.” Bobbie grits out as the camera changes to a different angle where a black van is being chased by a number of police cars.

“ _…the van is supposedly being driven by the main suspects of this terrible act and as we can see… Wait, what is that? Wait! No!_ ”

They all watch in shock as a small range missile closes the distance with the camera before the image is cut and passed to a horrified reporter who is visibly shaking as he stares to his right. The news helicopter has been shot down with a bazooka in Live National Television.

“We need to follow them.” Skye says in a rush, already getting close to the door but Tony beats her to it.

“I’ll do it, kid. Get ready, Hill will show you to the quinjet.” And with that he’s off, his Iron Man suit catching up as he runs to the nearest balcony.

Tony gets to the building where the bazooka was shot in less than three minutes ago but it’s been enough time for whoever did it to disappear. So he takes off in the direction of the sirens but soon enough JARVIS warns him of another missile flying towards him.

Iron Man flies straight towards the sky and when he’s at a safe distance he meets the missile with one of his small ones, making it explode in the air to continue with his chase of the black van.

This Red Cross woman is surely not holding back on expenses. At the first sight of the police cars Tony decides to take it upon himself to stop the van but just as he’s about to fire one of the police cars’ explodes and rolls over twice before it’s dragged by a truck down the streets, inciting chaos to unleash among the citizens.

“The van has made a turn to the right two blocks ahead, sir.” JARVIS lets him know.

“Call 911, have them here immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

More determined than before Tony accelerates, only to see two more police cars explode right of front of him and crush against other vehicles on the streets. They are trying to get away no matter the cost and this only makes him want to catch them even more.

They are now entering Lenox Hill and soon enough he’s able to fire, his bullets hitting the van’ tires and making it turn over on the wide open pavement without actually causing any major damage around. He’ll count that as a win.  

However, two guys manage to get out of the car and they’re quickly running towards one of the biggest buildings on the street.

“Should I inform Ms. Hill of your location, sir?”

“Hold that thought, JARVIS.”

Tony follows the men inside the building but it’s quickly overcome with doubt when the insides of the place look nothing short but perfect and the picture of elegancy.

“Surveillance cameras?”

“I’m afraid there are none, sir. Sir?” JARVIS calls him out insecurely. “Agent Skye has hacked into my system and the quinjet is flying towards you now.”

“Took her long enough.” Tony sighs, Hill has mentioned how good the girl is with computers after all and he wasn’t expecting anything less from her giving the circumstances.

Two gunshots put Tony on the move though and he’s up and running, kicking a door opened in the fourth floor where he finds two women tied up in wooden chairs, both with gunshots on their heads and another on the floor who is considerably more mistreated than the ones tied up. A single shaking guy sits on another chair with a computer on his lap and a gun in one of his hands.

“Press play.” The guy sobs out.

“Wait!”

The guy shots the gun, instantly offing himself with a shot under his chin and Tony stares horrified as he catches the computer from impacting the ground.

…

When the team arrives only minutes later they find Tony staring at the lifeless body of a young man and a computer in his hands but no sign of movements.

“He’s in shock.” Melinda declares after she tries to gain his attention with no positive results.

“I’m fine.” Tony blinks though and stands up as quick as he possibly can, though he feels anything but. “He shot himself.” He takes a deep breath but doesn’t try to get the image of the guy’ brains blowing off behind him because he’s pretty sure that no matter what he does he won’t be able to forget that particular moment. As if he needed any more traumas.

“What the hell happened here?” Sam looks around at the bodies in the room and decides that Romanoff wasn’t exaggerating at all but wishing that she had at the same time.

“He said to press play.” Tony motions to the laptop and trying to get everyone’ attention, and noticing the absence of Hill and Romanoff too. “JARVIS?”

“There are no signs of explosives, sir.”

The video footage comes to life with the image of a smiling Red Cross sitting on a large white leather couch, dressed all in red, looking collected and holding a crying Sharon Carter on her lap as if she were a child.

“ _Hello, Avengers!_ ” Red Cross waves at the camera, laughs and then goes back to pet Sharon’s hair before pressing her lips softly to her forehead and smiling even wider to the camera. Sharon cries harder, hugging her arms tighter around Red Cross’ neck and obviously not caring about being filmed. And although they don’t say it out loud, they all see how broken Sharon is.

“ _Did you see the cross at the Hospital? That was great! Wasn’t that great, love? I told you they’d know it was me!_ ” Red Cross erupts in laughter and the worst part is that she doesn’t seem crazy as she laughs, she looks honestly amused and entertained.

Coulson and Melinda stare with matching frowns, neither one of them willing to be scared by this woman. Bobbie and Skye are doing a good job of hiding their emotions well but Wanda’ hands are already covered in red, her powers oozing out of her. Sam is keeping his eyes on Steve, who looks at the screen with ferocity in his wish to get to know this enemy.

“ _I hope Natasha is doing okay, she’s fun to keep around and Sharon likes her. I think_.” Red Cross continues, effectively pocking at all the wrong places of her audience. “ _By now I’m sure you know I couldn’t care less about SHIELD but I do have some demands for you_ , **_mighty superheroes_** _._ ”

With Red Cross’ blue eyes trained on them, Coulson’ Team and the Avengers feel as if they’re being scrutinize by a woman who isn’t even in the same room as them, and the disgust in which RC addresses them is too obvious to overlook.

“ _I want you to leave, disappear from the public eye, and stop making it seem as if it’s all fun and games. Quit being what you are. A public statement would be nice and also convincing_.”

With matching frowns they all wonder if this is truly Red Cross’ objective, erase all superheroes of existing seems like an impossible plan.

“ _I’ve been having fun until now just to catch your attention. But not that I’ve got it I can finally let go, unless you do what I say of course, then I’ll just make some new plans and hunt you one by one_.” Red Cross continues, her hand now caressing Sharon’ leg up and down, smiling thoughtfully as Agent 13 grips her blazer in a tight fist. “ _I made a promise to Sharon and I intent to keep that promise_.”

Red Cross vows as a gurney is pushed close to the couch and the lens zooms in on an unconscious Jemma. “ _That one is alive, for now_.” The woman smirks deviously, obviously inching for a reaction and Skye doesn’t disappoint.  

“ _The world was a fine place without superheroes in it. Wars were fought, but they also ended. All I want is to return the world to its natural form and also because I really, really hate what you all did to me_.”

The whole building is shaking furiously by now as they all stare at the screen in confusion. None of them have ever met Red Cross before, so what does she mean by that?  

“ _My time is precious, just ask Natasha. I feel like she knows me well by now_.” Red Cross smiles, pleased with herself before the screen goes black and the building begins to collapse.

…

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much guys for liking this and letting me know. I really do love writing this one and hope you keep reading. Thanks! :)


	7. Old friends

Chapter 7

Natasha stares at the screen in silent contemplation. The image has stopped with the picture of Sharon curled on Red Cross’ lap like a child in pain and it pulls at every string of her body in a dangerous way.

Maria stands and begins to pace the small treating room like a wild caged animal. Natasha isn’t as lucky, her hand is still inside one of Dr. Cho’ machines being fixed and she needs that hand to catch this _woman_.

Coulson has sent Red Cross’ picture to every Organization that can help with recognition but none has had any luck yet. There are no files on her, not a real name that can be traced. Every New Yorker is induced in a state of panic after the News have broadcasted Red Cross’ picture and they finally put a face to the famous name she’s made for herself, but nobody recognizes her. Hundreds of families are demanding her apprehension as they mourn the loss of their loved ones.

They’re calling her unstoppable, comparing her to Loky and some are even blaming the Avengers themselves for the apparition of this new threat.

Some people have witnessed the building -where they followed the van- turned to dust and they’ve claimed to have seen Iron Man and Captain America at the scene. A few Generals have declared their wish for superheroes to stop wracking the Country and start working with the Government if they truly want to help or to step aside altogether, even though Pepper has already took care of the expenses.

The President himself has contacted Coulson and the Council wants Red Cross’ head no matter the cost.

“What happens now?” Wanda asks from a nearby chair that she’s claimed since she got back in Natasha’ room.

“I think its lunch time.”

Funny, how up until this moment Natasha hasn’t even thought about food. It’s been days since the last time she ate and this is the first time she’s noticing it. It’s normal now, for her to make sure that Wanda eats.

“You’re almost done.” Dr. Cho speaks for the first time since Bobbie left the computer on her bed twenty minutes ago.

Red Cross has managed to turn the strongest group of people on earth in catatonic dolls. Seeing Sharon in that video is disturbing and they should all be acting, but it’s also something they’ve never experienced before. Yes, Wanda got inside their heads -and some are still not over that- but she did it believing she was doing good and the minute she found out who she was exactly working for she has stopped. Natasha is afraid that the rest won’t see it this way.

She has seen the way Tony eyed Wanda when they all got back and instead of checking on her he has sprinted down the hall in a raging path. Steve hasn’t even moved from the living since they set foot inside and Natasha isn’t sure of how to proceed with him. He is always the strong one, their rock. The rest has walked inside of her room behind Coulson and then left behind him as well.

Natasha is not the kind of person who sits around and waits for a solution to drop from the sky. She can’t afford to get lost in her own thoughts anyway. Her deepest, darkest memories like to surface when she’s not doing anything productive, so she tends to avoid it all together.

“Coulson wants us in the Conference Room in five.” Bobbie informs them by entering the room without a knock, she doesn’t advance though and her eyes linger on the laptop on Natasha’ lap for a second longer before she leaves.

Dr. Cho’ growing tissue techniques and nerve fixing skills are absolutely genius, but Natasha will still like to put her hand to the test before she goes back out there again, although seeing at her hand now –especially after what happened- it’s impressive and she’s sure a normal person wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, but she can.

Maria –always the diplomatic- takes it upon herself to thank Dr. Cho profusely as Natasha jumps from the gurney and examines the wound on her waist next. She presses her hand softly at first but quickly discovers it doesn’t hurt that bad, the bullet hadn’t touched anything vital and her own advanced healing system is taking care of the rest rapidly.  

She thanks Dr. Cho as well and motions for Wanda to follow as she takes Maria’ hand and lightly squeezes it, if only to test if the feeling is the same. Maria smiles knowingly and squeezes back, her eyes asking silently if everything is alright.

“It’ll do.” Natasha shrugs even though she can barely tell the difference.

When they get to the Conference Room the only ones not there yet are Bobbie and Skye. Tony is impatiently tapping his fingers on the glass table, Steve isn’t looking up and the rest is expecting for the Director to begin. Sam looks helpless by his side. Coulson is standing at the head of the table, his hands buried deep in his pants’ pockets and a barely there smirk on his face. Natasha knows the expression well and she feels a little reassured for it. That expression means Coulson has a plan, it means he’s found something of use.

“Can someone please check on Skye and Agent Morse?” He calmly asks.

“I’ll go.” Natasha offers and only offers a reassuring squeeze to Maria’s hand before she leaves the room. She fists and stretches out her fingers as she makes her way to the elevator. There is only one place Natasha can think of where Skye could be and she heads there after JARVIS confirms her of Skye’ whereabouts.

Breathing in deeply Natasha thinks about the video the team has brought back and it scares her to think about Sharon that way because she knows the lengths Red Cross probably went through to break someone as strong as Carter, the things she must have shown her. She knows that everyone else understands this, that’s why they all are currently buried in a catatonic state and rage.

But Natasha is living proof that a person can be unmade and made again, and if there is someone strong enough to survive both processes that would be Sharon without a doubt. They only have to get her back first.

JARVIS welcomes her to the firing range floor where Skye is shooting bullet after bullet without stopping for a second, not even as Natasha makes sure to drop her steps and slam the door closed. Bobbie sends her a look but she doesn’t move. The Mockingbird isn’t easy to shake either and yet, her spirit seems to have left her body in that building.

Skye’ aim is admirable and her posture is absolutely from May’ school, which reminds Natasha of her first days on SHIELD and how impressed Melinda has been with her shooting abilities, although she hasn’t been that fascinated on her hand to hand combat skills and after the twentieth time May has put her on her ass in the mats, Natasha learnt that Melinda May sure lived to her reputation as one of the best Specialists SHIELD has ever had.

Natasha goes straight to stand a few feet behind Skye. After empting another magazine the younger woman finally puts down the gun and takes off her protective glasses and earmuffs, her entire posture is tense.

“I could have killed everyone today.” Skye says without turning back.

“But you didn’t.” Natasha points out and uncrossing her arms she sighs softly. Agent Morse is looking away, her jaw set.

“That’s not the point. I’m out of control. If Wanda wasn’t there - I could have killed them all!”

“Yes, you could have.”

Her honesty is met with Skye’ troubled eyes and it makes Natasha sigh again. She really isn’t the best at comforting people. The only way she knows how to be there for someone is through patience, but that’s something she can’t afford to have right now. Time is running out and they are being tested.

“Things will only get harder. Red Cross left that video behind with purpose, she knew you’d be there to watch it.”

“You’re saying that she wanted to see what I’m capable of? That she was watching us?” Skye frowns, Natasha notices how tired she is and sympathizes. None of them have slept or eaten since they found the President’ niece slaughtered and if it wasn’t for surgery, Natasha is certain that she wouldn’t have slept at all either. They’re fatigued but with no desire to sleep, no matter how beat up they feel.

“I’m saying she may be insane but she’s not an idiot. This woman knows what she’s doing”

“And here we all are, losing our grip and with no idea of how to proceed.”

Skye steps away, pointedly looking at Bobbie and taking deep breaths as she shakes her head. Natasha aches to see her this way and knows that the only way to stop her misery is to find Jemma, which they are nowhere near close to.

“She wants us all to disappear,” Natasha continues. “It means she’s targeted the people that can stop her with precision.”

“She just wants freedom to keep killing people!” Skye exasperatedly exclaims.

“She says she’ll attack each one of us if we don’t bend to her will, but she’s already attacking us individually.”

This is the first time Natasha is bringing this theory up to someone else -besides herself- to hear it. Red Cross has gone after Sharon because she knew that Steve will become too preoccupied to lead them and then she’s gone after Jemma in order to unleash the only person that could have lost control among them. Skye doesn’t disappoint, she picks up on what Natasha is saying rather quickly, as does Bobbie.

“God damn it!” Skye yells, her voice echoing around. “And we’re doing exactly what she wants, aren’t we?”

Natasha is absolutely sure that they are. “This is what we do.” Natasha tries to swallow those words, believe them, make them her shield but they’re lacking and she knows it.

“Well, we’re shit at our jobs then.” Skye leaves and Natasha turns to say something but comes up blank. They all know they need to be ahead, they need to outsmart Red Cross, they need to be able to predict her next move, they need to be ready but they have no idea how.

They enter the Conference Room in silence but it’s obvious that Skye is nowhere near calmed. The entire group seems to have taken a shot to the stomach, with their pained expressions and sore throats.

“There are many stations and safe houses that we couldn’t recover after the fall.” Skye is suddenly saying and it spikes the attention of everyone in the room, even Coulson’.

“Are you saying that Hydra is attacking us?” Steve prompts distractedly.

“I’m saying that we can’t trust anyone but the few in this room until we’re sure that SHIELD has not been compromised again.”

For someone who lost control only a few hours ago to the point of bringing a twenty five store building down, Skye seems to be well collected in her reasoning at least.

“Or any other Agency for that matter.” Bobbie injects.  

“How do we know that we can trust the ones in this very room?” Leave it to Tony Stark to raise suspicion among the group at the worst moment. His eyes are staring at one person alone though.

“I am on your side.” Wanda defends meeting his cold stare.

“Prove it then.” Tony spits out.

“That’s enough.” Coulson finally decides to intervene. “I gathered you all here because I’ve made contact with a friend and he knows exactly who Red Cross is.”

“I do like to make an entrance.” Nick Fury declares as he walks through the sliding doors carrying a black folder and dressed casually in jeans and his signature black leather coat.

“Sir?” Maria stands quickly but hesitates to get any closer, and as everyone frowns at his sudden appearance, Wanda relaxes at seeing the ghost of a smirk subtly grace Natasha’ lips.

“I was in the neighborhood and thought that I’d stop by to help your sorry asses capture this crazy bitch before she burns down the whole of New York City!”

On cue to his accusation bullets begin to rip through the high windows of the room and the rest of the building. Two quinjets are shooting restlessly at them. Fury has managed to seek cover behind the wall next to the doors he was about to cross but they all see Skye stand alone in the middle of the room and take down both quinjets on her own without hesitation.

The Iron Man suit flies inside the room and Tony flies out in a rush after the quinjets. However, JARVIS is informing them that the front and roof doors have been violated and fifty men are running their way inside.

“Two civilians were injured. 911 is on their way to pick them up. Both pilots are dead.” Tony informs as he makes his way back through the window. “There are no records of the pilots.”

“Fifty men are on their way in.” Steve says, his hand close by his chest where his shield should be now.

“They’re running up the sides of the building. Get ready.” Tony says before he’s gone again and the rest runs to collect the few weapons they could reach before they’re attacked again.

Tony’s first destination is Pepper’ office, JARVIS has been informing her of the current events and she’s ready when he arrives. Tony makes sure that Dr. Cho and Pepper are safe in the panic room before he flies back out and begins to cut the ropes these men are using to climb up. The first few men to fall down are ready when he approaches and their parachutes open the minute the rope is unattached. He can’t afford to be considerate, his friends are inside this building. He opens fire.

Steve is picking up his shield when three men shoot the windows and jump inside the living area of the general floor. The bullets ricochet on his shield as he runs straight for the tallest one. Disarming him is easy, putting him to sleep even easier. He goes for the next one, not before throwing the machine gun to Natasha behind the kitchen counter and she doesn’t hesitate in taking another out as Steve hits the last one unconscious with his shield.

Six new guys are jumping inside too soon though. They don’t hesitate in shooting everything they’ve got. Natasha ducks to avoid getting hit as Maria shoots relentlessly with two guns in her hands to cover her back.

“Incoming!” May shouts as the rest of the windows explode and in jump more than twenty men, all armed to the bones.

Skye catches the last two trying to get inside and throws them right out of the building as Wanda catches two bullets from hitting her. On the far right corner of the living Steve is in a deep fist fight with a guy that’s at least a foot taller than him. Bobbie is a few feet away from them, her lower lip is shedding blood but she has managed to unarmed two men without even her battle staves and is currently using a third guy as a human shield for incoming bullets her way.

May is taking cover behind the bar on the left corner but she runs out of bullets before two more men jump inside and head straight towards her. She throws a bottle of whiskey in the air, they shoot it and she uses the distraction to attack them low. With two knifes she’s found in the bar she goes for their ankles and two well-placed kicks in the face to put them down. She’s armed again.

Coulson is protecting Fitz inside the Conference Room, Fury is by his side. No one is getting through those windows anymore with them covering them.

“Hill!” Steve yells and throws his shield, Maria catching it almost expertly and protecting herself just in time from a rain of bullets coming her way. Natasha puts a bullet in the guy’ forehead just as fast though.

Steve is taking out as much of the men as he can with his fists but they just keep jumping inside.

“Everybody down!” Skye yells before she releases a seismic wave, effectively sending every standing guy flying out or knocked unconscious.

“Watch out!” Wanda yells from the floor and barely manages to protect Skye from the bullet coming her way with her powers.

They all look at the shooter as Tony re-enters the floor. Grant Ward stands in the middle of the room.

“I was only returning the favor.” He points out before throwing his gun down and kicking it out of reach.

Skye stares at him and in a moment of sheer panic she pictures the entire building collapsing but instead of giving into those needs she walks towards Ward and punches him in the face. Her powers still seem to ease out of her though, as the Hydra leader is thrown against the opposite wall with the punch and knocked instantly unconscious.

…

“Wake up, Jemma. Rise and shine!” Red Cross sing songs from the doorway. Jemma opens her eyes, feeling groggy and dizzy. She wiggles her hands but finds out she’s still tied up to the same gurney from before. Panic ensues and rapidly increases when she sees the man standing next to Red Cross. It’s the same man that was pushing her gurney but now he isn’t wearing a mask and Jemma recognizes him as Julian Pérez, the Butcher.

“Untie her, she’s coming with me.”

Pérez is fast to do as he’s told, starting with Jemma’ feet and then her hands. He is even quicker to step back once she’s no longer tied to that terrible gurney. However, the agent isn’t eager to find out what’s next or where Red Cross is planning to take her.

“Oh, come on!” Red Cross smiles, crossing the otherwise empty room to the gurney and taking Jemma’s hands to help her down, or more precisely to carry her down. “There is so much I want to show you!”

Confused and terrified, Jemma has no other option but to walk behind her captor. They enter a dark corridor, Red Cross’ steps clicking, the only sound echoing all around them. Jemma can’t see much besides the blond hair bobbing in front of her but she keeps walking because she’s being pulled and Red Cross’ hand in unrelenting around her wrist.

“We’re here.” The woman announces as she pushes a door open to reveal a bedroom. For a moment Simmons becomes lost in all the white surrounding her but after the initial shock she spots a person lying on the king size bed, her blond hair sprawled on the white pillows the highlight of the room.

“Sharon is taking a nap.” Red Cross’ whispers behind her. Jemma shivers involuntarily at having this murdered so close to her but it’s not like she can verbalize her disgust right now without putting herself on even more danger that she already is. Agent Carter wouldn’t be sleeping willingly in this place, would she?

“Is she alive?” She fears the answer she’ll get but she’s here and Agent Carter is right there. She needs to know.

“Of course she is alive!” Red Cross laughs mockingly, as if the idea of killing Sharon is the stupidest thing she’s ever heard.

“What do you want?” She asks and hears the door closing before Red Cross walks around her a couple of times, her eyes making Jemma feel as if she’s being learnt and discovered in ways she’s not supposed to by this woman.

“There is nothing you can offer me.” Red Cross speaks before walking towards the bed and sitting on the edge of it, her red dress hiking over her knees revealing long and pale legs. “I never thought she’d leave you out of her sight, y’know? She seemed so protective when you picked up the President’ niece from one of my buildings. She _loves_ you.”

Jemma’ blood begins to boil in her veins as she stares at the thoughtful expression of this woman’ face. She's been watching them all along. “If I can’t offer you nothing, then why am I here?”

“You’re answering a question. Nothing more.”

The vague reply accompanied by a mischievous smile makes Jemma’ skin crawl because it can’t mean anything good.

She hears the door opening and her first instinct is to run but someone is placing a dark bag over her head, her hands are being tied again and she’s being dragged out.

The overwhelming need to cry threatens to take her over as she’ pushed roughly inside a vehicle but Jemma forces herself to maintain what little control she has left. She can’t break down, she won’t beg for her life or her freedom. Not again and not to such a person.

She focuses on her breathing and the way the rough material of the bag rubs on her face and sticks to her lips as she counts her breaths. Red Cross’ isn’t speaking as they ride but Jemma can feel her presence like a shadow weighting on her shoulders.

They are looking for her, her team is looking for her. She is sure of it.

The car comes softly to a stop and the same hands that took her down of the gurney are pulling her out of the car. Her toes rub on the pavement as she’s pulled out but she does not cry out her pain, a few cuts on her bare feet are nothing compared to what this woman can do to her.

Jemma can’t see a thing but she keeps counting her breaths until she listens a click and then metal scratching against metal. She pictures a large door sliding open, the smell of diesel and gas instantly making her think of a mechanic shop.

“I love these places.” Red Cross says as she takes off the bag from her head and Jemma sees the smile spreading along every feature of the woman’s face, not only her lips. “They have a life on their own, they tell a silent story. My father loved coming here, this belongs to the only man my father ever trusted with his cars.”

Jemma opens her mouth in contemplation, not understanding why Red Cross is sharing this with her but then the woman is walking away from her as footsteps are heard somewhere near. The Agent looks around quickly but she can’t spot a way out that isn’t the same door they came in from, which is now closed and is at least six feet tall and twelve feet wide, a door Jemma wouldn’t be able to push open by herself in a haste. They are in fact in a mechanic shop that hasn’t been that active by the looks of it.

“There he is!” Red Cross announces, loudly and accompanied by a round of applause. Four of her men have brought a man to kneel in front of her, his clothes tainted in grease indicating that he works in this place, as a hobby perhaps. “Uncle Johnny! It’s been so long! How long has it been?”

The man must be in his late forties and he looks every bit of shocked to see the woman in front of him. If Jemma didn’t know any better she’d think this man is looking at a ghost.

“How did you…? Carol?”

Ignoring the man’ dazedness Red Cross turns to look directly at Jemma and before the young doctor can react the woman has taken a hold of the Johnny’ shirt and is lifting him up from the floor in one pull.

“Carol.” She spits out the name like it’s the most disgusting word she’ spoken before she throws the man against the opposite wall with little effort.

Jemma jumps back when his body collides with the concrete and she hears a few bones cracking. Johnny screams out in pain but doesn’t or can’t move from where he’s fallen.

“There is a file,” Red Cross is saying, her steps slow and shaky as she nears Jemma. “They have my file. When I got there it was gone. It’s the only file they have. The only prove that I existed. Carol is the name my father gave me. Carol is the girl they took. I am no longer her!”

There is so much pain in Red Cross’ voice as she screams and Jemma is shaking, her entire body on the edge of giving in but she meets her captor’ eyes and forces herself to keep that connection without showing her fear.

“Who?” She scarily asks.

“You know what’s funny though?” Red Cross retorts, ignoring her question and making her way towards the man again to pick him up like he weights nothing. “I do miss the little brat more often than not.”

Red Cross’ men are standing too close to Jemma, enough to let her know that she’ not going anywhere.

“Uncle Johnny here isn’t really my uncle. We are not related by blood and yet, he was always treated like family.” Red Cross is now throwing the man on top of a table where he cradles to his broken arm and begs for her forgiveness.

“I’m so sorry, Carol. I regret it, I regret everything.” His English is broken but understandable. Red Cross is inspecting the tools set on a different table aside, her fingers caressing the sharp metal ones, her smile stretching with each passing second.

“I get it. I do. You had no responsibility towards me, at the end of the day we were strangers, tied only by the friendship my father thought you and him shared.” Jemma has a sinking feeling on her stomach about all of this but she has no choice but to listen and watch. “But I was seven, and men I have never seen before were following me. I was a child…”

“They were going to kill me!”

“So you let them kill _me_ instead. I get it. I do. I’ve found someone worth dying for now and I get it. You just didn’t love me.”

“You were like a daughter to me.”

Johnny sobs, his tears falling endlessly down his face. But all Red Cross sees in this man is how futile his act of fake love is coming around and she laughs at his face.

“I came with presents, Uncle Johnny!” The Butcher steps ahead and offers Red Cross an open case. “Remember those little devices you were creating to add to our home security?”

With a move of her hand Red Cross lifts dozens of little iron bars from the case in the air. Jemma stares dumbfounded, this woman not only has super strength but can also move iron with her mind.

“I’ve perfected them. These not only send a powerful electronic wave through the body of the person who comes in touch with them but can also attach themselves to the skin before I call them back in. Isn’t that genius?!”

The iron plates are still in the air as Red Cross awaits for approval, and it comes as Johnny begins to beg for his life again. _Carol_ or Red Cross is jumping up and down now, obviously thrilled to see him like that. Then she lowers her hand.

Jemma screams right along with Johnny when the devices begin to get attach to his body. Red Cross’ laughter is deafening as she dances around the man who is being electrocuted to death. His clothes catch on fire next and Jemma notices that she’s being held back, and she’s crying. Johnny is screaming, his desperate yells so loud that Jemma is sure she won’t forget the sound.

“Oh, come on!” Red Cross exclaims, beyond amused at what she’s done before she orders the devices back in the case with another swift movement of her right hand. Johnny’s cries at having the plates detaching from his body with patches of his skin is devastating, but Jemma can’t look away. “That wasn’t even the best part of my gifts, Uncle Johnny!”

“Please.” Jemma is saying now, breathless and feeling sick, the smell of burning flesh invading her senses.

“I made a promise, Jemma!” Red Cross tells her from where she stands. “And I don’t break my promises. You’ll go home today. You will.”

Jemma can’t trust in this person, not one bit. She closes her eyes for what comes next but she still hears the Butcher cutting, Johnny screaming and Carol laughing through it all. She smells the blood and feels it in her bones each time that Pérez throws his axe.

“And he’s dead!” Red Cross is saying when it’s done, still amused and still smiling.

“What do we do with the girl?” One of her men asks and Jemma finally opens her eyes. She’s been crying, her eyelashes are wet, her cheeks cold and she’s on the ground.

“She’s going home.” Red Cross says as she kneels in front of her and takes her hands where she places a phone. “This man deserved to die, Agent Simmons. You don’t. Call Skye, tell her I say hi.”

The phone is on, Jemma unlocks it as the door is being open and with shaky fingers she lifts it to snap a picture of the car that drives away.

…


	8. One step forward and two steps back

AVENGERS’ TOWER

Having Ward around is maddening. Knowing that he is just a few doors down the hall makes Skye want to go there and pull the answers -he surely has- out of him no matter the method she’d have to use.

She chooses to wait instead. And this is the hardest part of their jobs, relaying on the team when you’ve been compromised. Natasha is currently tending to Hill’ bloody forehead and the picture it paints makes the young agent’ stomach twist dangerously inside of her.

She should have never let Jemma out of her sight in the first place. She hasn’t been able to talk to Coulson alone yet and she’s avoiding it consciously. Skye knows that Coulson acted on instinct, he thought he was doing the best he could in the high pressure situation they all found themselves in at the moment, but she still blames him for keeping part of the plan to himself and ultimately the results it brought. And yes, she’s taking it personal because it is, damn it.  

Shattered glass is everywhere she looks at. There is not a single spot in the entire floor that hasn’t been shot or broken, but even through it all Skye still sees a group of survivors. Wanda is tending to Bobbie’ injuries on the ripped out loveseat and even though chaos seems to surround them, Skye sees strength in those injuries.

Sam and Tony are still double checking to see if all Hydra Agents have been killed during their fight. It all indicates that Ward is the only one who hasn’t chewed on the little Cyanide pill. Fury, May and Coulson have disappeared, although JARVIS informed them that they are still in the Tower when they noticed their absence. Tony has looked just as suspicious as she felt about that. Fitz is once again glued to a laptop trying to track down Jemma and if only Skye could have the same hope Leo has right now she’d be on her computer too. She’s never been this scared before.

Steve is immobile, staring at the City through a big hole in one of the few walls left standing. Skye can’t see his face but she shares his pain in a way. The video left by Red Cross has hit them both in a different manner. Skye can’t even begin to imagine what it’d have been like if Jemma was the one crying uncontrollably instead of Sharon in the footage, in the arms of the enemy.

None of the people around her know how bad she’s struggling to keep her control in check though, and she feels is her duty to not let them know because on top of everything she can’t add to their desperation.

It’s too quiet while everyone tends to their injuries, not even Tony has something to say. Dr. Cho’ arrival is welcomed. Mack has heard the commotion down at the Medical Floor but was unable to get up, Hunter is still out after his surgery.

Pepper doesn’t bother with courtesies when she emerges from the elevator. Her relief at seeing Tony in one piece is disheartening in a way, heartwarming in others. Skye’ body aches and she looks away, wondering if she’ll ever get the chance to see Jemma again.

“Our location is known.” Natasha states from the large couch, where Maria leans back with a hand on her head, no doubt nestling a headache.

“We were never hiding.” Tony says as Pepper moves away to check on Maria. Steve turns around slowly, almost as if he’s not even there but trying to be.

“So what do we do?” Sam stands by Steve, arms tightly crossed on his broad chest. He can be the rock that the Cap needs right now.

“We need to interrogate Ward.” Bobbie injects as all the rest gathers around the couch.

“He won’t tell us the truth.” Fitz shakes his head in obvious distress. His reaction to Ward hasn’t changed since they discovered he’s Hydra. Leo stares pointedly at Skye. “You know he wants to be here. They’ll attack us again. He’s probably just entertaining us while they regroup. He’s stalling.”

“We’re not going anywhere. We’re not hiding. We’re not doing anything they want us to do anymore. If Red Cross knows where we are, then _good_. She can pays us a visit. The sooner the better.”

The only window left standing shatters to pieces with the light quake Skye provokes in her distress, but it doesn’t progress from there. The Tower is a symbol of who they are and although everyone remains silent Skye can still see them agreeing with her. Red Cross wants them to disappear and leaving the Tower equals running, and that is something none of them is willing to do.

“Carol Reyes.” Fury reveals as he makes his way towards the group, May and Coulson close behind him, both looking pissed but supportive. Their loyalty is at the test after all. “That’s her name. Carol Reyes.” He repeats and offers a folder to Steve.

“How did you get this?” Steve asks when he opens the folder to find a picture of Red Cross in what it seems to be an old SHIELD file. Fury is tempted to look away and fidgets for a second where he stands, but he meets his stare and explains.

“There was a project I authorized more than a decade ago.” Steve has handed the folder to Skye now, who sits down next to Natasha to re-read the words on the page, not that it helps to convince her that this is the truth. “The project was shut down after the first few initial experiments failed. The place was attacked hours after I gave the order to dismantle everything. I checked the instalments myself after that, and at the moment I discovered that all the data was missing and most of the equipment as well but I never thought…”

“You were creating Heroes?” Skye asks disbelievingly. The folder is now in Maria’ hands. Natasha is silent.

PROJECT ARISE. Maria searches her brain for the name but comes out blank. “Why did I never knew about this?”

“Because the file in your hands is the last piece of data that exists on it. They took everything. Now I don’t know why they left this file behind but they did. Lucky for us.”

“You were creating Heroes.” Skye states forcefully, as if saying it out loud will bring some enlighten she’s missing. “I’m gonna take a wild guess here and say this wasn’t a pleasant process for the persons involved. Am I right?”

“Skye, stand down.” May warns when Skye faces Nick Fury but she isn’t the only one disgusted by these news, nor the angriest. Natasha is not looking up from the floor as she grips the cushions of the couch. The things they’ve done to Red Cross are all filed in that page. No wonder she hates all of them. No wonder she has targeted them all.

“What exactly did you do?” Skye spits out. “This project was cancelled ages ago! How old was Red Cross when you submitted her to your desperate experimentations?”

Fury raises his chin but can’t hide the shame in his eyes. “I didn’t know they were bringing in children to the program by then.”

“Is that why you shut it down?” Natasha asks and Fury can see the moment her trust in him crumbles when he meets her stare. And this second their eye contact lasts seems to go on forever.

“Yes.” He answers truthfully. “We figured out a way to turn average Agents into something more with technology and we took it. We wanted to make the world a safer place. These people were supposed to help us accomplished this task. This has always been the purpose. You know it.”

She looks down again and Fury knows what she’s thinking but she must see that SHIELD –that he- is nothing like the Red Room.

“You said that the first few initial experiments failed.” Bobbie reminds him pointedly, daring him to take his words back.

“They did. I was informed that the project required younger subjects to obtain better results.”

“Children.” Steve corrects him angrily. “Don’t talk about them as if they’re objects. You put children on the line, Fury.”

“You seem to be forgetting that Hydra was working within SHIELD.” Fury raises his voice as well. “I didn’t allow this. Why do you think I shut the project down?!”

“Subject 17: successful.” Tony reads out loud, cutting him off. “This girl died seven times on your table and each one of them she was brought back for more torturing. Seventeen, Fury. What happened to the other sixteen?”

“Those were the few that you were talking about, right?” Skye chuckles dryly, humorlessly. The former Director of SHIELD breathes in deeply and refuses to meet her eye as he nods.

“You said they took a lot,” Maria looks up from Natasha. “Hydra probably carried the project along. There could be others like Red Cross.”

“Fantastic!” Skye throws her hands in the air. This is all too much.

“Skye, this information works to our advantage.” Coulson tries to reason but she’s still sore towards him.

“How exactly? We already knew she has super strength, can move things with her freaking mind and can get hurt but possesses the ability to heal herself with the blink of an eye. And guess what? We didn’t need this damn file to know all that!”

“She can’t move things with her mind.” May grits out, forcing herself to remain calmed.

“Just things that are made of metal.” Tony chips in with a clap of his hands. “Which you know. It’s perfect for me and Cap.”

“But the shield is made of vibranium?” Steve wonders out loud.

“Most of it with a few alloys, one of them metal.” Tony explains.

So Iron Man can’t encounter Red Cross and Captain America will have to do it without his shield, basically.

“She said she hates superheroes.” Fitz thinks out loud but with every pair of eyes suddenly focused on him, he goes on to explain. “She believes SHIELD did this to her and while she had to be tortured to achieve something, your powers came rather painlessly.”

She doesn’t have super strength and would never call herself a superhero but painless isn’t the word Natasha uses when she remembers her days at the Red Room, not that she wants to discuss it now. She looks at Skye and gets a nod in response, and both of them stride their way down the hallway to the only room that has resisted the attack they just suffered, the room where Ward is now locked up.  

They hear their names being called -among others- and Skye is glad to find Wanda, Steve, Tony and Sam behind them as well. Ward will talk, one way or another, they make sure of it.

He’s doing push-ups when the door clicks open but he jumps to his feet without a hurry, his eyes instantly locking with Skye’. He smiles satisfactorily at seeing how much of a threat he represents for these people. He’s only human after all, but these folks? Aren’t these the most powerful superheroes on earth?

“Isn’t this just perfect?” He smiles, he feels tall, he’s powerful and he lacks something that consumes the group of men and women in front of him. It’s been so long since his conscious stopped concerning him.

Skye has no patience for games and she makes sure that he understands this as soon as he speaks. Her powers respond quickly and efficiently when she lifts her hand and Ward hits the opposite wall with a hard thud. A hint of amusement envelops her whole when his surprise and fear are too big for him to try to hide them.

“This is Hydra’ head?” Tony asks unimpressed to no one in particular.

“One of many.” Ward responds as he picks himself up from the floor, his eyes once again focusing on Skye. “You’ve gotten so…”

That’s as far as gets out before Steve is lifting him from the floor with a dead grip around his neck and pushing him against the wall again, just as hard as Skye did before.

“You will answer our questions with precise information. Do you understand?”

As expected, Ward fights back and although he lands a punch on Steve’ jaw he can’t match his strength and he’s aware. That doesn’t stop him from pushing though. Cap returns his punch but Ward is fast and his knee meets Steve’ stomach, knocking the air out of him and giving him a chance to land a kick on the Captain’ face. But fighting Steve takes all of his focus.

Ward sees Natasha a second too late, and before he knows it he’s on his back on the floor again with the Black Widow’ knee chocking him and her never ending legs keeping his arms tightly pressed to his sides. He can’t move an inch.

He really is running out of air and everyone can see it, Natasha isn’t even bothered by Ward’ face turning blue. But while everyone else can’t find a reason to keep Ward alive, Steve can’t allow a person to die like this. Besides, Ward doesn’t deserve to add to Natasha’ ledger any more.

Natasha tenses when someone touches her but she recognizes Steve almost immediately, and just the reminder that he’ in the room is enough to bring her back. She releases her hold but just when Ward is beginning to breathe again she punches him straight in the nose with all her weight behind.

“I hope this isn’t because of the eye candy comment.” Natasha looks back, standing up and finds Maria staring at her, and she’s not happy. Natasha knows what’s running through the brunette’s mind and killing the source of information before he’s had the chance to share is not something she approves of.

“No, but I’ll get there.” She smirks in response.

Wanda finds herself fisting her hands in mild shock. She’s never seen Natasha losing her grip like this and she admits it doesn’t paint a pretty picture. Living with these people has made her see them as regular persons and they are nothing but. Natasha winks at her though, as if reading her mind and reminding her to trust.

For his part, Ward looks unwilling to stand up again as he cleans the blood tripling from his nose with his fingers. Steve makes the decision for him anyway by picking him up and throwing him on the bed to face them all.

“Where is Red Cross?” Steve asks but Ward is far from cooperative. His blood is still bleeding, so he proceeds to silently rip his own shirt’ sleeve to wipe himself.

“Look around you Ward. You better start speaking.” Skye glares but the Hydra leader once again ignores her warning.

“I’m all for a little torture and questioning, but are we forgetting that there is someone in this room who can read minds?” Tony kindly prompts out loud and Ward’ eyes immediately focus on Wanda. It’s no surprise that he’s aware of her abilities. The Maximoffs are a product of Hydra after all.

“It is more complicated than that.” The red hair says as Natasha frowns at her fellow Avenger for the careless suggestion.

“Where is Red Cross?” Steve asks again, ignoring the short discussion.

“What proof do you have that I even know her?” He spits back, his anger at being so easily humiliated finally showing. “I can be here just visiting old friends.” His evil bloody smile is directed at Skye.

“Where is Red Cross?” Steve repeats but Ward takes a deep breath, faking concentration before he slowly stands up from the bed.

“You know I think I might know where she is.”

“Not the best time to play smart, son.” Sam chuckles ironically and motions around the room because, seriously! The Avengers are surrounding this pretty boy and he isn’t collaborating.

“Who the hell are you?” Ward comes back condescendingly but his eyes quickly fall of Maria Hill, and his expression turns discriminatory. “And what is she doing here?”

Something hits him in the throat as soon as he speaks and he falls to his knees short of breath and coughing dryly. And as Natasha crunches down to pick up her phone the rest limit themselves to send her a look. Of course Ward tries to get to her when she’s standing up but Wanda is fast at stopping him. She doesn’t even push him away, doesn’t hurt him, doesn’t use violence at all; she simply makes him step back and sit down at the edge of the bed like a good boy.

Ironically, this method is what scares Ward the most.

“Get out of my head!” He’s panicking now, obviously trying to stand up and move on his own. “You freaks! Get out of my head, witch!”

Closing her eyes Wanda wishes he stops talking but she doesn’t set him free. But when he no longer opens his mouth she’s the first one surprised. Ward isn’t speaking but his eyes are wild now, he’s conscious and Wanda is also keeping him that way, only she has no idea of how she’s doing it.

“I just wanted him to stop talking.” She explains quickly but she’ not met with judgmental or scared looks, she’s met with understanding ones. Steve is still a bit shaken by everything but his eyes are asking her if she’s okay.

“Ask him again.” She doesn’t know if this will work, she still has a raw idea of how to control her abilities but they need him to talk and she needs to at least try this without getting fully inside of his twisted mind. That is something that she doesn’t want to do under any circumstances.

“Where is Red Cross?” Steve asks again as the reddish glowing energy coming out of Wanda’ hands envelops Ward whole.

“She’s visiting her Uncle Johnny. She didn’t say where.” Ward’ eyes have turned red as have Wanda’ but his voice is coming out forced and throaty.

“Where exactly?” Natasha asks, eager to finish with this as quick as possible.

“She doesn’t tell me everything.”

“Where is Jemma?” Skye asks next but he doesn’t look at her, he can’t.

“With her. She was not letting her out of her sight. She said she has plans for her.”

“And Sharon?” Steve follows.

“I dont…” a cellphone is ringing and the place is shaking again. Skye is frozen in place and Ward is fighting against this mind control thing restlessly.

“Where is she?!” Steve growls.

“I don’t know where she is. She wouldn’t let me see her. I’m not in charge. She is.”

The reddish energy disappears at once and Wanda lets her arms fall to her sides heavily. A cellphone is still ringing and it takes them all a moment to realize that it’s Skye’s phone.

…

JOHNNY’ SHOP

“Skye.” Jemma breathes out in relief at hearing her girlfriend’ voice. “I’m fine, I’m okay. I’m at a mechanic shop. I’m okay. Just come get me, please.”

She notices the tears sliding down her face but does nothing to clean them as Skye tells her to stay on the line and she can listen to her girlfriend moving on the other side of the line and people speaking up, she hears several voices and a new wave of tears washes over her.

“ _I got an address, honey. Don’t hung up_.”

“I won’t.” Jemma smiles through her tears and she finds it incredibly stupid to feel reassured by the sound of Skye’ breathing but she does.

“ _I’m on my way right now. Are you alone?_ ”

“Well, I’m the only one alive.”

“ _Don’t worry baby, we’re almost there. Look up, you’ll see me coming._ ”

Jemma laughs this time but it only makes her sob harder when she does it. She has a sinking feeling in her stomach that she recognizes as paranoia and she fears that this might be the last time she’d get to listen to Skye’ voice because she can’t understand why she is being set free. It doesn’t make any sense.

“ _Look up, honey._ ”

The first thought to run through Jemma’s mind is that she’s being saved by Iron Man but then she sees a second Iron Man quickly approaching and she closes her eyes in relief and slight confusion. They land just a couple of feet away and then the golden suit is opening up and Skye emerges from it and it takes all the effort left within her to stand up and meet Skye halfway, but once she’s finally in her girlfriend’ arms she gives in because Skye has her and she’s safe, she’s home again.

“God! I’m never letting you out of my sight again!” Skye cries close to her ear before she pulls back and kisses Jemma hard.

“You’re here.” Jemma cries harder as Skye cleans her tears with her trembling fingers and kisses her repeatedly. “And Iron Man is with you.” She ads confusedly.

“Of course I’m here. God, I love you. I love you so much. Are you hurt? Did she hurt you?”

Skye blinks back her tears and inspects her girlfriend’s barely covered body as fast as she can before she’s back at kissing her lips and Jemma is assuring her that she wasn’t hurt at all. Skye quickly takes off her jacket and wraps it around her shoulders.

“Your toes, Jemma.” Skye groans at seeing blood but Jemma quickly cups her face and brings her back to look into her eyes. Skye’s arms are tightly wrapped around Jemma now but she’s not moving them away, she doesn’t ever want to be away from her again.

“I’m fine and you’re here. Now please, let’s go back. We have work to do.”

Skye nods quickly, worriedly and turns around to look for Tony but he’s standing immobile a few feet ahead in front of a large iron table.

“Stark, we need to get going.” Another suit lands next to Tony’ on cue and it quickly opens up.

“Good afternoon, Agent Simmons. If you allow me I’ll transport you back to Avengers’ Tower.” JARVIS voice informs them as Tony finally turns around and makes his way back to them.

“Did you see that happening?” He asks Jemma as Skye finally gets a glimpse of the dead body lying on the table behind him. The dead man doesn’t exactly portray a cross on his skin like every other victim of Red Cross. This man looks way worse than that and much more terrifying.

“Yes.”

“Let’s go. Now.” Skye orders and helps Jemma inside the third suit. “I’ll be right next to you.” They kiss again but Jemma doesn’t let go of her hand.

“I took a picture of her car.” She motions to the phone, deciding not to wait a minute longer to share this information and Skye is quick to send said picture to JARVIS with the help of Tony.

There are a lot of things that Jemma isn’t getting at the moment but this isn’t really the time to ask why Iron Man has come with Skye and why they’re all going back to the Avengers’ Tower. As far as Jemma knew Tony Stark was unaware of Director Coulson’ status but she can understand why he’d feel the need to ask for help. Maybe he didn’t even ask for assistance.

JARVIS doesn’t take long in finding Red Cross’ car and it takes even less to inform the rest of the team about it.

With one last kiss Skye steps back and Jemma’ suit closes up, and then she’ flying and Skye is flying right next to her. Five minutes later they land on top of the Avengers’ Tower and Skye is right there helping her getting out of the suit again, and Fitz is running out with a robe that he quickly offers her.

“We have an address. We need to move.” Steve Rogers says as he walks out to meet them. “Jemma Simmons. I wish we had met under different circumstances.”

Jemma shakes his stretched out hand but can’t really speak because Captain America is actually shaking her hand and smiling a bit forcefully, understanding of her awestruck reaction.

“Me too.” She finally gets out.

“Did you…” he looks around nervously, insecurely. Skye squeezes her waist where her arms seem to be permanently attached now as he struggles for another second. “Sharon?”

“I only saw her once this morning. She was sleeping. I’m sorry.”

“No, no. It’s not your fault. We have a lead thanks to the picture you took.”

“That’s my girl. Smarter than all of us together.” Skye affectingly states with a kiss to Jemma’ cheek before they all make their way inside where everyone else can briefly show how relieved and glad they are to have her back. Once inside Fitz is fast to address her injuries, which are thankfully not many or large.

With an address on the table and Jemma’ information about the place she was being held at –which isn’t really much- they need to act quickly. Mac and Hunter are being transported to a safe location along with Pepper, Dr. Cho and the medical staff. The rest will stay in the Tower and fight until they stop Red Cross.

Tactical teams are set, weaponry handed out and everyone is suiting up as quickly and quietly as possible. They all want to stop Red Cross and are determined to do it fast.

“Skye, I…”

“Not now, Coulson.” She stops him mid-sentence, knowing well where he’s going with it.

“I never wanted for any of this.” She looks at him, really looks at him and wants to stay mad but she can’t. “I’m sorry for everything.”

Skye nods curtly as Jemma comes to stand by her side. She was dead serious when she said that she won’t leave her out of her sight again. But Skye also knows why Coulson decided to say something to her now and not before. It all indicates that she wasn’t the only one beginning to lose faith.

“I’ll go in first. May and Bobbie will be on my six. We’ll clear the first floor and move our way up.” Steve repeats the plan as he comes out of one of the bathroom in his Captain America suit. “Natasha will lead the second team through the roof. That will be Hill and Wanda.”

“I’ll stay out of the building with Quake over here and Simmons.” Tony follows up, gaining a few odds looks.

“Quake?” Natasha hums, tasting the alias as she double checks her belt and counts how many magazines she’s taking with her. Her cat suit feels oddly comforting at the moment.   

“You’ll make sure Red Cross doesn’t scape.” Steve pointedly ads, letting everyone know that right now is not the time to give Skye a new nickname. “And if she tries…”

“I won’t let her.” Skye promises.

“Good.” Steve nods. “Sam, Coulson and Fitz will be flying the area, they will be our air support and extraction if needed.”

“Lincoln will guard the back door.” Bobbie finishes as she secures her staves on her back.

“Where is Lincoln?” Coulson wonders out loud at the same time that they hear an explosion down the hall and the entire building is electrocuted.

Everything has been too hectic, a lot has been going on and they decided that their little group was safer than SHIELD because it was easier that way.

When they make their way down the hall where Ward’ cell is they find it empty, a brand new hole on the wall.

They have an address but Lincoln has helped Ward scape.


End file.
